Former Southfield Mayor Donald Fracassi, whose name was synonymous with the city, dies at 88

Donald Fracassi, Southfield

Few can say they left as much of a mark on Southfield as Donald Fracassi.

He served the Oakland County community for more than a half-century, including spending more than 30 years as its mayor and multiple stints on the City Council.

“He gave his life to the city and he didn’t want anything more than to do what he did,” said his son, Roderick Fracassi. “He didn’t run for House representative. He didn’t run for the Senate or any other position because he wanted to continue to serve Southfield.”

Mr. Fracassi died Sunday, June 25, 2023, at his home. He was 88.

The date also was when he and his wife, Karen, celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary.

“They lived in the same house since then,” their son said.

Mr. Fracassi’s political career dates back to the 1960s, after he became owner of Don's Town & Country Market, relatives said.

As family legend has it, a building permit issue inspired him to run for office in the city, Roderick Fracassi recalled.

Mr. Fracassi was among the youngest members on the City Council when elected in 1967, Southfield representatives said in a statement Monday.

He was elected council president and became acting mayor in 1969-72, according to the city.

In 1972, Mr. Fracassi was elected mayor. He kept the role until his 2001 defeat by City Councilwoman Brenda Lawrence, who became Southfield’s first woman and first African American mayor and who went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives until this year.

Mr. Fracassi returned to the council in 2003, became acting mayor in 2015 and was a councilman until 2019, the city said.

That lengthy tenure helping lead Southfield marked a pivotal shift for the city as it transformed into one of the area’s largest and most diverse.

“Mr. Fracassi’s tireless work to improve the quality of life for the residents of Southfield and Oakland County is still evident today,” city officials said in a statement. “Throughout his long and distinguished years of service, he successfully pioneered several positive initiatives that have secured Southfield as an economic hub in southeastern Michigan.”

His accomplishments include, they said:

•Implementing the state’s first 911 emergency system as well as one of the first EMS systems and paramedic programs in the nation in 1972•Establishing the city as a “SmartZone, distinct geographical locations where tech firms, entrepreneurs and researchers "can locate in close proximity to community assets,” according to the Michigan Economic Development Corp.•Assisting in launching the senior buildings, the McDonnell Towers and Woodridge Apartments•Negotiating a joint contract between Southfield, Japan and Lawrence Technological University to build the first composite bridge in the U.S.•Launching the Downtown Development Authority•Establishing an east-west route for Interstate 696 and its sound-walls

“No singular individual has had a bigger impact on the city of Southfield than Donald Fracassi,” said state Sen. Jeremy Moss, who was elected to the council in 2011 as its youngest member.

“Don was ‘Mr. Southfield,’ leading the city as Mayor during a dramatic period of growth — ‘from farmlands to skyscrapers,’ as he would say. … He used his platform to be an outspoken and passionate advocate for our city and propelled us to be a key player in our region — founding the Eight Mile Boulevard Association, forming the South Oakland County Mayor’s Association and serving in leadership in the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. He was instrumental in the development of many city amenities we enjoy to this day: the Southfield Pavilion, the Civic Center Arena, Beech Woods, the Historic Burgh site and more.”

Mr. Fracassi’s mayoral tenure was not without controversy.

He and the council clashed over spending, including plans to build a new city library, and other issues, including the panel ousting City Manager Robert Block in 1998 while Fracassi was on vacation, The Detroit News reported.

In 1999, Mr. Fracassi faced criticism for speaking out about how Southfield Public Schools students’ state test scores compared to other districts.

That year, he elaborated on his views during an interview with a Detroit News writer.

“To see your hometown grow from farms to one of the state's most progressive-minded places … it's been an absolutely terrific run,” Mr. Fracassi told The News in 1999. "So maybe I become a little too defensive when I hear criticism about the place. When people come up to me and say they're leaving because of the schools, then I think it is my responsibility to speak out.”

Mr. Fracassi’s legacy was such that the city in 2020 officially named its municipal campus after him.

“As I’ve traveled across the state and country and encountered people with Southfield roots, without fail, they’ll immediately ask me if Fracassi is still around,” Moss said. “He became such an indelible figure for generations of people who grew up here that his name became synonymous with Southfield.”

Born March 21, 1935, in Hamtramck, to Ray and Sonia Fracassi, the future mayor graduated from Cranbrook High School in 1953, his family said.

Mr. Fracassi met his wife while working at the market he ran for more than 30 years, their son said.

He handled the business even while serving the city. “I remember as a child, he would get calls during dinner on the weekend. People would come by the house saying, ‘I have a problem, I need help.’ He never said no,” Roderick Fracassi said.

That didn’t alter the time the elder Fracassi spent with his six children. “He tried to get to every baseball game, hockey game,” his son said. “I tell people that he gave his business 100%, the city 100% but at the same time he gave his family 100%. I don’t know how he did it, but he did.”

Mr. Fracassi also was personable as mayor, from the ribbon-cutting to fielding phone calls.

After his 2001 election loss, he told The News how he wanted others to remember him.

"I'd like people to remember that I was the one to take this city from cornfields to one of the most respected and powerful centers of business in the state of Michigan,” he said. “I'd like to be remembered as a mayor of integrity and honesty who was responsive to the citizens of this city every day he was in office.”

Mr. Fracassi returned to the council because “he missed service to the city,” his son said. “He felt like he had more to contribute.”

Besides his wife and son, other survivors include four children, David Fracassi, Patti Taber, Tim Fracassi and Philip Fracassi; 14 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by a son, Donald.

The funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at Highland Park Baptist Church, 28600 Lahser Road, Southfield. Burial is at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the Southfield Goodfellows.