David Bellotti
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David Frank Bellotti (born August 13, 1943) is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom who was Member of Parliament (MP) for the Eastbourne constituency from 1990 to 1992.
Bellotti first contested the Eastbourne seat at the 1979 general election, subsequently fighting Lewes in the 1983 and 1987 general elections under the Liberal banner. He then won the parliamentary seat of Eastbourne for the Liberal Democrats in the Eastbourne by-election following the murder by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) of Conservative MP Ian Gow. Two years later Bellotti was defeated by Nigel Waterson in the 1992 general election in which John Major's Conservative Party was re-elected.
David Bellotti returned to local government, regaining a seat on the council. He then became CEO of Brighton & Hove Albion, a position which gained him much local notoriety due to the sale of the Goldstone Ground after the board could no longer deal with the amount of debt the club incurred in the previous decade. David Bellotti's involvement ended before the club moved into exile in Gillingham, when he finally left in disgrace after Bill Archer was bought out by the Dick Knight Consortium. Bellotti was also the chairman for a short period of the Sussex police authority.
Following the controversy over Brighton and Hove Albion, members of the Liberal Democrats in Eastbourne deselected him as candidate for the Park ward of East Sussex County Council.
After leaving the football club and losing his council seat, there was much rejoicing amongst football fans and Sussex Lib Dems when Bellotti moved to Bath and became election agent for Don Foster MP. In May 2003 David Bellotti was elected councillor for Lyncombe ward on Bath and North East Somerset council.
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- This page incorporates information from Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page.
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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Preceded by Ian Gow |
Member of Parliament for Eastbourne 1990–1992 |
Succeeded by Nigel Waterson |