Pat Fiacco

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Pat Fiacco is the current Mayor of Regina, the capital city of Saskatchewan, Canada. As mayor, he is the chief executive of Regina City Council. Council consists of the mayor and ten councillors representing wards. Pat Fiacco was born and raised in Regina.

He has been mayor of Regina since 2000, and he is currently in his third term. As a relative newcomer, Fiacco received an endorsement from the Regina Police Association by then union president Troy Hagen after the number of police officers serving with the Regina Police Service decreased by 31 during the mayoralty of Doug Archer. Troy Hagen is now the Chief of Police in Regina.^[1] Fiacco was elected by acclamation in 2003, and re-elected in October 25, 2006 with 85% of the popular vote with a 35% turn out from the electorate.

This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles. (August 2007)

• To instigate and promote the 'I Love Regina' campaign, developed by the previous mayor Doug Archer, the Mayor's Task Force brings together 20 different community organizations [including the Regina Regional Economic Development Authority and United Way Regina] to improve social, community and economic development. ^[2]
• As Chair of the Regina Board of Police Commissioners, Pat Fiacco and its board members have been targeting crime reduction by introducing a greater police presence with more police officers in the communities.^[2] However, Regina's crime and murder rates are consistently placed in the Top 5 in Canada.
• Also as Chair of the Big City Mayor's Caucus, Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), Pat Fiacco addresses Regina's infrastructure upgrades and improvements. Two initiatives he has been involved with are the Federal Gas Tax, the Highway #1 and Lewvan Drive Interchange. To date, no progress has been made on this project and the Ipsco Place infrastructure renewal.^[2]
• A new concept, the Regina Youth Advisory Council (RYAC), was introduced by Jim Elliot of the CCFR in 2006 civic election. It may help to reinforce and increase social and economic development, particularity focusing educating the youth of Regina on civic issues.^[2]
• A concern shared between the Regina City Council, Regina Inner City Community Partnership and corporate sponsors are to revitalize Regina's inner city and down town core area.^[2] Though very little investment has been done by the City of Regina, itself.
• North Central Regina is undergoing revitalization with the support of two strong initiatives: new housing developments and Regina North Central Community Vision and Action Plan Report^[3] No concrete initiatives have come of this study to date and the people of North Central Regina continue to live in squalor.

Pat Fiacco is married to Angie, and together they have three children, Melissa, Jordan and Matthew.^[2]

Pat Fiacco served in the 2004 Athens Olympics as the Canadian referee and judge for the boxing event. Pat Fiacco '^[4] has held provincial and Canadian amateur boxing championships, such as the Canadas amateur bantam weight crown 1980. ^[5] He has also served as the Head Official of Boxing Canada. Ken Goff's son George Goff and Pat Fiacco have worked together to honour the memory of Ken Goff by implementing the Ken Goff Memorial Boxing Classic.^[6]

Mayor Fiacco has contributed to the sports arena also on the Canadian Olympic Committee, Telemiracle 22, the Big Valley Jamboree, the Ken Goff Memorial Boxing Classic, Sask Sport and Hockey Regina. ^[2]

Pat Fiacco serves as a member on the following boards and organisations.

• Regina Regional Economic Development Authority (RREDA)
• Mayor’s Task Force on Regina’s Future
• Regina Board of Police Commissioners; Regina
• Crime Prevention Commission; Wascana Centre Authority
• Big City Mayors’ Caucus
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)
• Canadian Capital Cities Organization
• Saskatchewan City Mayor’s Caucus. ^[7]

In 2002, Fiacco launched the city's promotional campaign, "I Love Regina". Although he took credit for its implementation, previous mayor Doug Archer had postponed it while running in the 2000 election.

In 2003, Fiacco abandoned plans to close three inner-city libraries amid public opposition.

During a strike vote among the city's three major unions (CUPE 21 & 7, ATU 578) in 2005, Fiacco stated on radio station CJME (AM) that he hoped the employees would "sober up" and accept the city's offer. Reaction to the statement resulted in all three unions striking for a month.

Fiacco reacted to a 2006 article in Maclean's magazine, which labelled Regina's inner city as Canada's worst neighbourhood, by participating in a magazine burning and encouraging citizens to cancel their subscriptions to the magazine.

In February 2007, the Leader-Post reported Fiacco plagiarised nine quotes from a speech given by Premier Lorne Calvert a year earlier to a volunteer appreciation dinner. ^[8]

Also in 2007, city council raised the average residential property tax bill by 5% and a further 3.9%[1] for 2008. All this despite a 2006 election promise not to raise taxes.