Carlos Heller | |
|---|---|
 | |
| National Deputy | |
| Assumed office 19 December 2019 | |
| Constituency | City of Buenos Aires |
| In office 10 December 2009 – 10 December 2017 | |
| Constituency | City of Buenos Aires |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1940-10-17)17 October 1940 (age 85) Villa Domínguez,Entre Ríos Province,Argentina |
| Political party | Solidary Party (since 2007) |
| Other political affiliations | Front for Victory (2007–2019) Frente de Todos (since 2019)[1] |
| Profession | Banker, politician |
Carlos Salomón Heller (born 17 October 1940) is an Argentine executive,cooperative banking leader and politician, currently serving asmember of theArgentine Chamber of Deputies, representing theAutonomous City of Buenos Aires, since2019.[2][3] He is the founder and president of theSolidary Party.[4]
Carlos Heller was born in rural Villa Dominguez (nearVillaguay,Entre Ríos Province), in 1940, to aJewish family. The Hellers relocated toBuenos Aires in 1950, and Carlos completed his secondary schooling in avocational school. He married Ether Sosa in 1962, and the couple had two children. Losing his post in an auto parts manufacturer due to layoffs, Heller was hired as an administrative assistant in one of Buenos Aires' then-numerouscredit unions, in 1963; in 1974, he was named to the board of directors of theInstituto Movilizador de Fondos Cooperativos (Argentine credit unions' coordinating body).[5]
Themilitary dictatorship installed in 1976 brought with it an ultra-conservative Economy Minister,José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz. Following a round ofwage freezes (amid 400% inflation), Martínez de Hoz further threatened community banks in February 1977 with his Financial Entities Law. The measure prohibitednon-profit banking and raised minimum capital requirements to US$10 million, both of which precluded most smallercredit unions in the country at the time. This and further measures enacted by the Economy Minister in 1977 encouraged the dramatic growth ofinvestment banking in Argentina - particularly the financing ofspeculation. This adversely affected credit unions further by allowing larger, commercial banks to offer depositors exotic investment vehicles with high yields.[6][7] As credit unions closed, Heller and other leaders in the sector met in aVilla Ortúzar co-op in 1978 to discuss the creation of a unified credit union; in November, they petitioned theCentral Bank of Argentina to charterBanco Credicoop. Receiving the Central Bank's charter in February 1979, the new institution named Carlos Heller its first General Manager.[5]
Even as community banks closed, unregulated investment banks proliferated in Argentina during the late 1970s; the practice collapsed between 1980 and 1982, however, and hundreds of these unregulated financial houses, as well as numerous banks, closed.[7]
Antonio Alegre invited Heller to run with him for the vice-presidency of theBoca Juniors football team, one of Argentina's (and the world's) most prominent. Elected in 1985, Alegre and Heller inherited a financially insolvent football club and a stadium unable to meet municipal safety requirements. Selling land near Buenos Aires' waterfront for US$21 million, they were able to recover the club's finances and refurbish the iconicBombonera stadium. The duo was narrowly defeated for re-election byMauricio Macri, in December 1995.[8] Heller has been nominated numerous times for the presidency of theArgentine Football Association (AFA), though his prospective candidacy has been reportedly opposed by the AFA's longtime head,Julio Grondona.[9]
Long asocialist, Heller publicly entered the fractious realm ofArgentine politics in 2004, when he joined theRosario Group, a left-leaningadvocacy group.[10] Heller formed theSolidary Party ahead of the2007 elections in Buenos Aires, obtaining the support of CongressmanMiguel Bonasso and former Buenos Aires MayorAníbal Ibarra, who had been impeached a year earlier over accusations of negligence in a tragic New Year's Eve 2004nightclub fire. Heller wasDaniel Filmus' running mate for the post of Mayor of Buenos Aires. A close ally of PresidentNéstor Kirchner, Filmus proceeded to arunoff election; but he and Heller were amply defeated by the center-rightRepublican Proposal candidate,Mauricio Macri.
For theArgentine legislative elections of 2009 Heller became a candidate for a seat at thelower chamber for the City of Buenos Aires. His candidacy was on top of the joint ticket of his own Solidary Party (PSOL) and theKirchneristFront for Victory. In one of the most important and competitive electoral districts of Argentina, Heller secured a seat in Congress obtaining 12% of the vote, its ticket placed fourth.[11]
