Deedee Corradini
Encyclopedia
Deedee Corradini served as mayor
of Salt Lake City
, Utah
from 1992 to 2000. Corradini was Salt Lake City's first and to date only female mayor.
Corradini, now Senior Vice President for Prudential Utah Real Estate, is also the President of Women's Ski Jumping-USA. She has been on the WSJ-USA board for four years and served as president for the last three, taking a lead role in the battle to get women's ski jumping into the Olympic Winter Games (see www.wsj2010.com).
Corradini attended school in Lebanon
and Syria
for 11 years as a child. A graduate of the University of Utah
with a Masters degree in Psychology
, She also attended Drew University in Madison, NJ. She served as Press Secretary
to US Congressman Wayne Owens
of Utah and then Rep. Richard Ottinger
of New York in the early 1970s.
Although Utah leans strongly toward the Republican party, Corradini is a member of the United States Democratic Party. This is not unusual for Salt Lake City, which tends to elect more Democrats than the rest of heavily Republican Utah. Indeed, the last time a Republican was elected mayor of the city was Jake Garn in 1971. Since then, all mayors have been Democratic mayors: including Ted Wilson and Palmer DePaulis
(Corradini's two predecessors), Rocky Anderson
(her successor) and Ralph Becker
, the current mayor.
Corradini's efforts gave Utah the initial shove that landed the state the 2002 Winter Olympics
. Corradini was the first woman to receive the Olympic flag when it was passed to Salt Lake City at the 1998 Winter Olympics
in Nagano, Japan
.
Under Corradini's watch, the city's population
experienced a tremendous growth spurt, as the metropolitan area of Salt Lake City and the rest of the state began to grow by thousands of families a month.
But she also endured scrutiny for soliciting some $231,000 in cash gifts and loans to pay off $805,000 for her part in the failure of Bonneville Pacific, a publicly traded alternative energy corporation that went bankrupt on inflated financials in 1991. Though she never faced criminal charges, investigations dogged Corradini's administration, which never recovered from the Winter Olympics bribery scandal. In January 1999, she announced she would not seek reelection the following year amid calls for her resignation by the Salt Lake City Council.
The ACLU and the First Unitarian Church
of Salt Lake City, among others (including her successor Rocky Anderson
), were upset with a deal she negotiated on behalf of the city to sell a block of Main Street — then city property — adjacent to Temple Square
to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). However, the conversion of this block into a church plaza was one of the 14 major projects put forth by the city in its 1962 Second Century Plan. The 1962 plan stated: "It is proposed that Main Street between the two church blocks either be closed to vehicular traffic or an underpass installed. This would strongly unify these two blocks as a visual anchor on the north end." Some accused the Mayor of pushing the sale in exchange for the LDS Church's support of the Olympic Games, as the church was not initially in favor of the city hosting the games.
During her tenure, Corradini pushed hard (and ultimately successfully) for the relocation of the Union Pacific railroad tracks that divided downtown, pushed through the TRAX
light-rail system, and won massive federal funding for reconstruction of the freeway system in advance of the Olympic Games (one of the largest single public works transit projects in recent American history). She also was the guiding force for the construction of the popular baseball stadium for the (then) AAA Salt Lake Buzz, at the time, the farm team
for the Minnesota Twins
), the redevelopment of a 50 year old railyard into the 30 acre (121,000 m²), $375 million Gateway District
mixed-use development, resulting in two million square feet (186,000 m²) of shops, restaurants, office space, and housing, as well as a 12 screen movie theatre a planetarium
as well as plans for a children's museum.
Corradini served as the President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1998.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
from 1992 to 2000. Corradini was Salt Lake City's first and to date only female mayor.
Corradini, now Senior Vice President for Prudential Utah Real Estate, is also the President of Women's Ski Jumping-USA. She has been on the WSJ-USA board for four years and served as president for the last three, taking a lead role in the battle to get women's ski jumping into the Olympic Winter Games (see www.wsj2010.com).
Corradini attended school in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
for 11 years as a child. A graduate of the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
with a Masters degree in Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, She also attended Drew University in Madison, NJ. She served as Press Secretary
Press secretary
A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage....
to US Congressman Wayne Owens
Wayne Owens
Douglas Wayne Owens was a member of the United States House of Representatives for Utah's 2nd congressional district from 1973 to 1975 and again from 1987 to 1993....
of Utah and then Rep. Richard Ottinger
Richard Ottinger
Richard Ottinger is an American politician of the Democratic Party, a former member of the United States House of Representatives, and a legal educator.-Early years:...
of New York in the early 1970s.
Although Utah leans strongly toward the Republican party, Corradini is a member of the United States Democratic Party. This is not unusual for Salt Lake City, which tends to elect more Democrats than the rest of heavily Republican Utah. Indeed, the last time a Republican was elected mayor of the city was Jake Garn in 1971. Since then, all mayors have been Democratic mayors: including Ted Wilson and Palmer DePaulis
Palmer DePaulis
Palmer DePaulis is a politician in the US state of Utah. DePaulis served as the 31st mayor of Salt Lake City from 1985 to 1991. He was the first Roman Catholic mayor of Salt Lake City. He subsequently served as Chief of Staff to Utah Attorney General Jan Graham, as a Commissioner at the Utah State...
(Corradini's two predecessors), Rocky Anderson
Rocky Anderson
Ross C. "Rocky" Anderson served two terms as the 33rd mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, between 2000 and 2008. He is the Executive Director of High Road for Human Rights...
(her successor) and Ralph Becker
Ralph Becker
Ralph Becker may refer to:* Ralph Elihu Becker , American ambassador to Honduras from 1976–1977* Ralph Becker , American politician and attorney who is former Minority Leader of the Utah State House of Representatives and current mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah...
, the current mayor.
Corradini's efforts gave Utah the initial shove that landed the state the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
. Corradini was the first woman to receive the Olympic flag when it was passed to Salt Lake City at the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in Nagano, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Under Corradini's watch, the city's population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
experienced a tremendous growth spurt, as the metropolitan area of Salt Lake City and the rest of the state began to grow by thousands of families a month.
But she also endured scrutiny for soliciting some $231,000 in cash gifts and loans to pay off $805,000 for her part in the failure of Bonneville Pacific, a publicly traded alternative energy corporation that went bankrupt on inflated financials in 1991. Though she never faced criminal charges, investigations dogged Corradini's administration, which never recovered from the Winter Olympics bribery scandal. In January 1999, she announced she would not seek reelection the following year amid calls for her resignation by the Salt Lake City Council.
The ACLU and the First Unitarian Church
First Unitarian Church
First Unitarian Church or First Unitarian Society, or variants thereof, may refer to the following:*First Unitarian Church , listed on the NRHP in California...
of Salt Lake City, among others (including her successor Rocky Anderson
Rocky Anderson
Ross C. "Rocky" Anderson served two terms as the 33rd mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, between 2000 and 2008. He is the Executive Director of High Road for Human Rights...
), were upset with a deal she negotiated on behalf of the city to sell a block of Main Street — then city property — adjacent to Temple Square
Temple Square
Temple Square is a ten acre complex located in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In recent years, the usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities immediately adjacent to Temple Square...
to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). However, the conversion of this block into a church plaza was one of the 14 major projects put forth by the city in its 1962 Second Century Plan. The 1962 plan stated: "It is proposed that Main Street between the two church blocks either be closed to vehicular traffic or an underpass installed. This would strongly unify these two blocks as a visual anchor on the north end." Some accused the Mayor of pushing the sale in exchange for the LDS Church's support of the Olympic Games, as the church was not initially in favor of the city hosting the games.
During her tenure, Corradini pushed hard (and ultimately successfully) for the relocation of the Union Pacific railroad tracks that divided downtown, pushed through the TRAX
UTA TRAX
TRAX is a three-line light rail system in Utah's Salt Lake Valley, serving Salt Lake City and several of its suburbs throughout Salt Lake County. The system is operated by the Utah Transit Authority ....
light-rail system, and won massive federal funding for reconstruction of the freeway system in advance of the Olympic Games (one of the largest single public works transit projects in recent American history). She also was the guiding force for the construction of the popular baseball stadium for the (then) AAA Salt Lake Buzz, at the time, the farm team
Farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...
for the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
), the redevelopment of a 50 year old railyard into the 30 acre (121,000 m²), $375 million Gateway District
Gateway District
The Gateway District is a large open air retail, residential and office complex in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The complex is centered around the historic Union Pacific Depot in downtown Salt Lake City...
mixed-use development, resulting in two million square feet (186,000 m²) of shops, restaurants, office space, and housing, as well as a 12 screen movie theatre a planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
as well as plans for a children's museum.
Corradini served as the President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1998.