John So
John Chun Sai So Lord Mayor of Melbourne | |
---|---|
In office July 2001 – November 2008 | |
Deputy | Susan Riley (2001–2004) Gary Singer (2004–2008) |
Preceded by | Peter Costigan |
Succeeded by | Robert Doyle |
Personal details | |
Born | Aberdeen, Hong Kong | 2 October 1946
Citizenship | Australia |
Political party | Independent |
Spouse | Wendy Cheng |
John Chun Sai So
First elected in 2001 and re-elected in 2004, So is the second-longest-serving Lord Mayor of Melbourne, serving for seven and a half years. In 2006, he won the World Mayor award.[1] On 1 October 2008, So announced that he would not seek re-election for a third term as Lord Mayor.[2] He was succeeded by Robert Doyle.
So currently serves as
Background
So was born in
So's political career has included positions as director of
So is actively involved in
Politics
In 1991, So contested politics for the first time and was elected as one of the councillors of the City of Melbourne. He was re-elected in 1996 and 1999. In 1999, So came within one vote of being elected Lord Mayor, losing 4–5 to Peter Costigan.
In 2001, the
First term as Lord Mayor, 2001–2004
In the 2001 Lord Mayoral election, So polled 14.9% of the primary vote, second only to Peter Sheppard, who received 15.2%, but after preferences were distributed, So comfortably defeated Sheppard. So also defeated the then-Premier Steve Bracks's preferred candidate, Peter McMullin, and former federal minister and Australian Democrats founder Don Chipp.
So presided over a prosperous term in which Melbourne was voted
So was criticised for his communication skills, partly due to his heavily Cantonese-accented English. A restaurant with ties to So was also fined $75,000 for breaches of the Food Safety Act by his own council.[6] In 2002, So was accused of putting his relationship with the Chinese government ahead of Melbourne by refusing to meet the Dalai Lama during his Australian visit.[7] The council was also punished by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal for prohibiting Falun Gong from participating in the city's annual Moomba parade.[8]
Second term as Lord Mayor, 2004–2008
2004 election
Though he had been a relatively popular mayor, So was widely expected to be defeated at the 2004 election.[9] Despite this, he polled well on election day, achieving 42.2% of the primary vote (compared to his nearest rival who received 9.2%), and was re-elected.[10] So's ticket for the Councillor positions was also successful, winning a historic majority in the Town Hall.[11]
Commonwealth Games
During the 2006 Commonwealth Games, So was warmly welcomed by Melbourne as a figurehead of the city. This led to "John So, he's our bro'." T-shirts and "John So for PM'" shirts and stickers being manufactured and worn by some Melburnians as a testament to the city's tolerance and multiculturalism. At the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games, at every mention of So's name, there was a tremendous applause from the crowd, which became progressively louder with each occurrence.[12]
Planning and development
So presided over a number of major developments throughout his second term. The most significant of these include the refurbishment of the city's key shopping complex, the
Controversies
In 2007, So was criticised for
World Mayor
So's popularity in office resulted in him being named
So told the media he was "delighted to be elected" and that "the honour belongs to the amazing people of this wonderful city and the hard-working team at the City of Melbourne".[19]
Retirement as Lord Mayor
Speculation had been rife that So was preparing to stand for the Lord Mayoral election in November 2008.
On 1 October 2008, So officially announced that he would not seek re-election, stating "you can't work at 110 percent forever and that is what this job requires."[23]
Honours and positions
In 2006, So was named World Mayor ahead of other candidates including Job Cohen, Ray Nagin, Michael Bloomberg and Shintaro Ishihara.
In 2006, So was among eleven recipients of the You Bring Charm to the World Award, presented at Peking University in Beijing. The award was jointly sponsored by Phoenix Television, Baidu, and Beijing Youth Daily and recognised the achievements of the "most influential Chinese in 2006".[24]
In 2007, So received an honorary degree of Doctor of the University from
In 2010, So was appointed as one of the six panel members of the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Council.[26]
In 2011, So was a recipient of the World Chinese Economic Forum Lifetime Achievement Award.[27]
In 2013, So was awarded the Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop Asia Medal.[28]
On the
So is also a Member of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change.[30]
Personal life
So has been married twice and has four children. His partner, Wendy Cheng, served as the Lady Mayoress of Melbourne and chaired the Lady Mayoress' Committee between 2001 and 2008.
So's youngest son, John So Jnr, an investment banker and businessman, ran unsuccessfully to be elected as Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne alongside Australia Sotheby's CEO, Gary Singer, in the 2012 Melbourne City Council Elections.[31] Singer was previously Deputy Lord Mayor while John So Snr was in office.
So supports the Melbourne Demons in the Australian Football League.[32]
References
- ^ John So – World Mayor 2006
- ^ "John So to quit as Lord Mayor". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2 October 2008.
- ^ "WCEF Global Business Council".
- ^ "The Ninth National Congress of Returned Overseas Chinese and their Relatives". Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Bureau of Foshan Municipality. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
- ^ "Best city in the world". Melbourne: The Age. 4 October 2002.
- ^ "So's campaign for second term trips on a cockroach". Melbourne: The Age. 20 March 2004.
- ^ "Melbourne to snub Dalai Lama". ABC News Online. 2 May 2002.
- ^ "City Council bans Falun Gong from Moomba". Melbourne: The Age. 21 February 2003.
- ^ Ellingsen, Peter (7 November 2004). "The mayor will lose his war". Melbourne: The Age.
- ^ "Mayoral Results for Melbourne City Council Elections 2004". Victorian Electoral Commission.
- ^ "Historic second term for So". Melbourne: The Age. 28 November 2004.
- ^ "Melbourne, we did it!". Sydney Morning Herald. 26 March 2006.
- ^ Boulton, Martin (4 May 2004). "$10m facelift plan for Bourke Street Mall". Melbourne: The Age.
- ^ "Docklands win: a tale of three cities". Melbourne: The Age. 19 April 2004.
- ^ "Melbourne efficiency review to reveal council problems". ABC News. 30 May 2007.
- ^ Lucas, Clay (31 May 2007). "Big-spending mayor goes for broke". Melbourne: The Age.
- ^ Lucas, Clay (8 June 2007). "So snubs Dalai Lama". The Age. Melbourne.
- ^ "John So, Lord Mayor of Melbourne wins the 2006 World Mayor Award". World Mayor. 5 December 2006.
- ^ "So good: the world's best mayor". Herald Sun. 5 December 2006.
- ^ Birnbauer, Bill; Bachelard, Michael (27 July 2008). "And So, has the time come for mayoral change?". Melbourne: The Age.
- ^ "They're off in the mayoral race". Herald Sun. 25 July 2008.
- ^ "Jeff Kennett rules out running for Melbourne Lord Mayor". Herald Sun. 22 September 2008.
- ^ Rout, Milanda (1 October 2008). "Melbourne mayor John So will not seek re-election". The Australian.
- ^ "Zhang Ziyi Brings Charm to the World". china.org.cn. 2 April 2007.
- ^ "John So scores a doctorate". Herald Sun. 8 June 2007.
- ^ "Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Council". Government of Singapore.
- ^ "WCEF Lifetime Achievement Awards". World Chinese Economic Forum. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ "2013 Asialink Chairman's Dinner". Asialink.
- ^ "The man who put Melbourne on the map". The Age. 9 June 2014.
- ^ "World Mayors Council on Climate Change". World Mayors Council on Climate Change.
- ^ "Son of So enters mayoral contest". Melbourne: The Australian. 26 September 2012.
- ^ Beveridge, Riley (29 January 2016). "Your AFL club's most famous supporters, from Barack Obama to Cam Newton". Fox Sports. Retrieved 29 January 2016.