Thomas W. Bucci
| Thomas W. Bucci | |
|---|---|
| 49th Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut | |
| In office 1985–1989 | |
| Preceded by | Leonard S. Paoletta |
| Succeeded by | Mary C. Moran |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
Thomas W. Bucci is a former mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, succeeded by Mary C. Moran. He is a lawyer and also a member of the U.S. Democratic Party.
Family and Personal Life
Bucci is the cousin of Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee Chairman Mario Testa.
Lawyer
He earned his Bachelor's degree from Sacred Heart University and his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Connecticut School of Law.[1] Mr. Bucci has worked as a lawyer since 1990, and is a founding partner in the firm of Willinger, Willinger & Bucci. He is a past president of the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, and is currently a member of the Greater Bridgeport, Connecticut and American Bar Associations and can practice before the courts of the State of Connecticut, the U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.[1] He is noted for several cases including defending Dr. Moshe Gai of the University of Connecticut.[2]
Mayor of Bridgeport
Bucci was twice elected mayor of Bridgeport and served out both terms, but lost re-election to Ms. Moran by a margin of 54% vs. 40%, with 6% going to minor candidates.[3] He had won the 1987 Democratic primary by a margin of 3-1.[4]
Armpit of New England
In 1987, Money magazine ranked Bridgeport as the nation's 37th-best place to live, which was considered disputable by newspaper columnist Mike Levine of Middletown, New York, which had come in 38th. Levine then repeated a slur in his column, (attributed to Paul Newman), that Bridgeport is "the armpit of New England."[5]
Property Tax Increase
In 1989, The Bridgeport Financial Review Board ordered a 19% Property Tax increase under Mayor Thomas W. Bucci.[6] Bucci came up with the idea in 1988, as a way to provide the groundwork for a recovery.[7]
Federal Bailout
Mr. Bucci was successful is getting a $60 million bailout package from the state of Connecticut in 1987.[3]
Census of 1990
Mr. Bucci was quoted as saying "If we don't have an accurate count, we're not going to mobilize the citizenry to care for the homeless" in regards to the Census Bureau's plans to conduct its count at the shelter and street night on March 20, 1990, before the official Census begins April 1.[8]
L'Ambiance Plaza
At approximately 1:30 in the afternoon on April 23, 1987, 28 construction workers were killed when the sixteen storey L'Ambiance Plaza building project collapsed.[9] Mayor Bucci was quoted as saying ""It's a sight out of Beirut, Lebanon".[10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Connecticut Real Estate Closings, Employment, Personal Injury, Divorce, CT Labor Attorneys & Lawyers of WWB, P.C". Wwblaw.com. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
- ↑ Zielbauer, Paul (2002-01-12). "UConn Officials Consider Dismissing a Professor Accused of Threats and Bad Behavior - NYTimes.com". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "THE 1989 ELECTIONS: Connecticut; New Haven Picks First Black Mayor - New York Times". Nytimes.com. 1989-11-08. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
- ↑ "Legislator in Hartford Wins Primary for Mayor - New York Times". Nytimes.com. 1987-09-16. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
- ↑ "Essay Brings 'Armpit of New England' to Its Sneeze - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 1986-07-05. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
- ↑ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2rFdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uF0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=4117,1470363&dq=thomas+bucci+increase+tax+18&hl=en
- ↑ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pCpJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uQYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1112,728057&dq=thomas+bucci&hl=en
- ↑ Associated, The (1989-01-29). "'90 Census Will Count the Homeless - NYTimes.com". Connecticut: Select.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
- ↑ Meg Barone, Correspondent (2010-04-23). "23 years later, L'Ambiance losses still sting - Connecticut Post". Ctpost.com. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
- ↑ Connecticut Disasters: True Stories ... - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
External links
Thomas W. Bucci Law firm biography page