Yiannis Boutaris, winemaker and maverick former mayor of the Greek city of Thessaloniki, has died

THESSALONIKI, Greece -- Yiannis Boutaris, a winemaker who served two terms as mayor of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, and shook its conservative image, died Saturday evening, his company Kir-Yianni announced on social media.

No cause of death was given, but his health had been declining. A couple weeks ago he had undergone a hip operation, was discharged but readmitted to hospital a few days before his death.

The announcement, written by his two sons, who run the winemaking company, called him “larger than life, visionary, charismatic, innovator, maverick.” Maverick he undoubtedly was.

Politicians across the spectrum paid tribute to Boutaris, emphasizing his passionate and non-conformist personality.

Boutaris, a progressive man who eschewed party labels, was involved in local politics late in life, being elected municipal councilor at age 60. He first ran for mayor in 2006, coming third, before running a successful campaign in 2010. His supporters ranged from leftists to moderate conservatives, and he won by a whisker in a city where hardline conservatives had held the mayor’s office for 24 years. In 2014, he won reelection with 58% of the vote.

After a four-year hiatus, he was elected municipal councilor again in 2023, serving until his death.

“He was the daring visionary who fought with all his might to bring the city back in touch with its rich multicultural, colorful and cosmopolitan past,” said current Thessaloniki mayor Stelios Angeloudis.

As mayor of a city close to other Balkan countries, Boutaris worked on good neighborly relations.

He sought to attract Turkish tourists to the city where the Turkish Republic’s founder, Kemal Ataturk, was born. He invited Zoran Zaev, the prime minister of what was then The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, to dinner on New Year’s Day 2017, paving the way for an agreement between the countries that ended a decades-long dispute over the name Macedonia and after which Greece’s northern neighbor adopted the name North Macedonia. He also emphasized the city’s strong Jewish heritage, playing an important role in building the Holocaust Museum.

These moves were sometimes resented by the city’s nationalist element, including the Orthodox Church. Boutaris did not shy from confrontation, leading the city’s archbishop, Anthimos, to name-call him during a church service in October 2010, telling him that without the Church’s support he could not hope to be elected mayor. Nineteen days later, he was.

In May 2018, a gang of nationalists attacked Boutaris, slightly injuring him. Nine persons, including a police officer, were convicted for the attack five years later.

“My views on gay pride and North Macedonia caused great enmity and personal hatred,” he had said in an interview.

Before he delved into politics, Boutaris had made his name in the winemaking business founded by his grandfather. Business differences with his brother led him to quit the family business in 1996 and start his own, Kir-Yianni (“Mr. Yiannis”) winery.

Boutaris was also an active environmentalist, founding an NGO, Arktouros, initially aiming to protect the country’s brown bears, but whose sanctuary eventually took on many other species. He was also involved in his beloved Aris Thessaloniki sports club. The club’s professional basketball team said he was a major provider of fund’s during the club’s golden era in the 1980s and 1990s.

In 2021, he published a well-received memoir, “60 Years of Harvests,” in which he was open about his struggled with alcoholism. He had stayed sober since 1991.

Besides his two sons, his survivors include a daughter and six grandchildren.

His family announced that he will be cremated Tuesday. No religious service will take place.

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Nellas reported from Athens, Greece