Thomas Bucci
49th Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut
In office
1985 – November 13, 1989
Preceded byLeonard S. Paoletta
Succeeded byMary C. Moran
Personal details
Born
Thomas William Bucci[1]

(1948-04-17) April 17, 1948[2]
Bridgeport, Connecticut[2]
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseKaren M. Flanagan[3]
Children2[3]
EducationSacred Heart University (BA)
University of Connecticut (JD)

Thomas William Bucci (born April 17, 1948) is an American lawyer and former mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut. A member of the Democratic Party, Bucci ran in 1985 and defeated incumbent mayor Leonard S. Paoletta flipping Bridgeport's leadership from Republican to Democratic. Bucci served two terms in office until he was defeated and succeeded by Mary C. Moran thus returning Bridgeport back to Republican leadership.

Bucci is also known for successfully arguing the civil rights case Connecticut v. Teal in front of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Family and personal life

Bucci is the cousin of Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee Chairman Mario Testa.[4][5] Bucci has two children and nine grandchildren.[3]

Bucci graduated from Notre Dame Catholic High School (Connecticut). He subsequently obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Sacred Heart University in 1969 and a juris doctor from University of Connecticut School of Law in 1973. Bucci graduated cum laude from the University of Connecticut School of Law.[3]

Bucci was admitted to the bar in Connecticut in 1973 and is also licensed to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.[3] Bucci is a current member and former president of the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association and a current member of the Connecticut Bar Association and American Bar Association.[3]

Bucci is a founding partner of the law firm of Willinger, Willinger & Bucci, P.C.[3] He argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in the civil rights case of Connecticut v. Teal that dealt with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Ultimately, the Supreme Court of the United States sided with Bucci and declared that the State Of Connecticut engaged in behavior that had a discriminatory impact against African Americans.[3][6] Other notable cases include his defense of Dr. Moshe Gai, a professor who was fired from the University of Connecticut.[7]

Mayor of Bridgeport

After serving as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Bridgeport, Bucci was twice elected mayor of Bridgeport and served out both terms.

Elections

In 1985, Bucci won a four-way Democratic primary for mayor getting 8,737 of the votes, defeating 1983 Democratic mayoral candidate Charles B. Tisdale who got 7,146 votes, City Clerk Leonard L. Crone who got 1,862 votes, and former mayor John C. Mandanici who got 798 votes.[8] Bucci then unseated incumbent mayor Leonard S. Paoletta, the Republican nominee, in the general election and became mayor.[9]

In 1987, Bucci won the Democratic primary with 6,155 votes, defeating State Representative Robert T. Keeley Jr who had 2,251 votes.[10] He subsequently won the general election and remained mayor.

In 1989, Bucci ran for a third term and won the Democratic primary. In the general election, he was challenged by the Republican nominee, Mary Moran. Bucci raised $280,000, while Moran raised $78,000. Moran criticized Bucci for the city's chronic financial problems and high crime rate. Bucci responded that most of the city's financial problems were due to previous Republican administrations. Bucci was noted for his role in Bridgeport receiving a bailout package of $60 million in state-backed bonds during his tenure. Bucci attacked his opponent for being a "pro-developer candidate who would allow condominiums to be built throughout the city".[11] Bucci claimed to have strong support from the city's African American and Hispanic voters, while his opponent was noted for having support from the "predominately white sections of the city".[12] Since Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 4-to-1 ratio in Bridgeport, Bucci's victory seemed inevitable. Ultimately, Moran defeated incumbent mayor Bucci by a margin of 54% vs. 40%, with 6% going to minor candidates. Upon his defeat, Bucci proclaimed "We've been through a difficult period of time the past two years," and "I love this city, and I've loved being mayor of this city. The voters have spoken. They have decided they want a change."[12] Bucci's defeat shocked observers and was understood to be a dissatisfaction towards Bucci rather than an acceptance of his opponent's policies who called for "cutting city services, except for police and fire" and not increasing taxes except during a municipal bankruptcy.[11]

"Armpit of New England"

In 1987, Money magazine ranked Bridgeport as the nation's 37th-best place to live. In response, newspaper columnist Mike Levine of Middletown, New York—which had come in 38th—repeated a slur in his column (attributed to Paul Newman) that Bridgeport is "the armpit of New England."[13]

City's budget woes

In April 1988, the city experienced a $24.4 million budget deficit, and Bucci proposed an 18-19% tax increase in an attempt to help the city with its financial straits.[14]

In 1988, the City of Bridgeport agreed to let the State of Connecticut monitor city finances in exchange for a "bailout" of $58.3 million in state-backed bonds for deficit relief.[12][15]

Aftermath

On June 6, 1991, the City of Bridgeport (then under Bucci's successor, Mayor Mary Moran) filed a Chapter 9 petition (municipal bankruptcy) in U.S. bankruptcy court.[15] The city faced a $12 million gap in its fiscal year 1991-92 budget of $304 million.[15] The Bridgeport Financial Review Board immediately passed a resolution blocking the city from seeking bankruptcy protection and adopted a $319 budget for the city, ordering an 18% increase in property taxes. Bucci warned at the time that steep declines in property values could occur in the city.[15]

Census of 1990

Bucci was mayor during the 1990 United States Census, where he sought to ensure that the homeless were included in the count.[16]

L'Ambiance Plaza disaster

At approximately 1:30 p.m. on April 23, 1987, 28 construction workers were killed when the sixteen storey L'Ambiance Plaza building project collapsed.[17] Bucci was quoted as saying "It's a sight out of Beirut, Lebanon."[18]

References

  1. ↑ University of Connecticut (Class of 1973) Commencement
  2. 1 2 "Thomas W. Bucci Profile | Bridgeport, CT Lawyer | Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Thomas W. Bucci, Partner, Willinger, Willinger & Bucci, P.C. (accessed April 2, 2016).
  4. ↑ Michael P. Mayko, In the end, Finch held all the cards in Bridgeport primary race, Connecticut Post (September 28, 2011).
  5. ↑ Bob Conrad, Old Hawk Spurns the Duke, The Hour (September 24, 1988).
  6. ↑ https://www.lexisnexis.com/community/casebrief/p/casebrief-connecticut-v-teal LexisNexis (accessed October 6, 2020).
  7. ↑ Paul Zielbauer, UConn Officials Consider Dismissing a Professor Accused of Threats and Bad Behavior, New York Times (January 12, 2002).
  8. ↑ Judd Everhart, Paoletta Wins Bridgeport Primary; Dagon Is Routed in East Hartford, Associated Press (September 11, 1985).
  9. ↑ Thirty years on, a Steel Point reunion, Connecticut Post (May 16, 2015).
  10. ↑ Legislator in Hartford Wins Primary for Mayor, Associated Press (September 16, 1987).
  11. 1 2 Nick Ravo, A Novice Reigns as Bridgeport Mayor, New York Times (November 15, 1989).
  12. 1 2 3 The 1989 Elections: Connecticut: New Haven Picks First Black Mayor, New York Times (November 8, 1989).
  13. ↑ "Essay Brings 'Armpit of New England' to Its Sneeze". Los Angeles Times. July 5, 1986. Retrieved December 24, 2010.
  14. ↑ Bucci offers huge tax increase to cure crisis, Associated Press (April 6, 1988).
  15. 1 2 3 4 Connecticut to Fight Bridgeport mayor on bankruptcy petition, Associated Press (June 8, 1991).
  16. ↑ '90 Census Will Count the Homeless, Associated Press (January 29, 1989).
  17. ↑ Meg Barone (April 23, 2010). "23 years later, L'Ambiance losses still sting". Connecticut Post.
  18. ↑ Grant, Ellsworth S. (2006). Connecticut Disasters: True Stories ... - Google Books. ISBN 9780762739721. Retrieved December 24, 2010.
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