About Ilmar Reepalu
Ilmar Reepalu (born 11 October 1943) is a Swedish Social Democratic politician of Estonian origin who was the 17th chairman of the municipal board in Malmö from 1994 to 2013. After a professional life as an urban planner in Borås and Malmö, he became a municipal commissioner of Malmö in 1985. In opposition from 1985 to 1994, he then served as chairman of the municipal board – a position similar to that of mayor – from the 1994 election until his retirement on 1 July 2013. During his term as chairman of the municipal board, Reepalu was lauded as being instrumental in the transformation of Malmö from an industrial town in decline towards being a centre of knowledge and modern architecture. He also was criticised strongly during his term for his reported alleged antisemitism for comments he made in which he associated attacks on Jews in Malmö with their alleged support for Israel.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.