Joseph P. Ganim
| Joseph P. Ganim | |
|---|---|
| 51st & 54th Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut | |
|
Assumed office December 1, 2015 |
|
| Preceded by | Bill Finch |
|
In office November 11, 1991 – April 4, 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | Mary C. Moran |
| Succeeded by | John M. Fabrizi |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Joseph Peter Ganim October 21, 1959 Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater |
University of Connecticut (B.A.) University of Bridgeport (J.D.) |
Joseph Peter Ganim (born October 21, 1959) is an American politician and mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut. A Democrat, Ganim was elected mayor of the city five times, and served from 1991 to 2003, when he resigned after being convicted on federal felony corruption charges. Released in 2010 after serving time in federal prison, Ganim returned to Bridgeport and successfully made a political comeback in 2015 when he again won election as mayor, and was sworn in on December 1, 2015.
Ganim was born to George W. Ganim Sr. and Josephine Ganim of Easton, Connecticut. Ganim's father was a prominent Bridgeport attorney and Republican Party loyalist who was a lieutenant of local Republican boss Ed Sandula. Ganim, on the other hand, became a Democrat.
Ganim graduated from the University of Connecticut and received a law degree from the University of Bridgeport Law School (which later became Quinnipiac University School of Law).
In 1988, a young Ganim made his first run for office against Lee Samowitz in the 129th House District, a Connecticut House district in Bridgeport. Ganim lost, but only by about 150 votes.
Ganim was elected the 51st mayor of Bridgeport in 1991, receiving 15,768 votes (54%) and defeating incumbent Mayor Mary C. Moran, who received 10,951 votes, and two minor party candidates, who got a combined total of 2,258 additional votes. During his campaign, Ganim accused Moran of making the city "a symbol of urban failure with a bankruptcy filing that drew national headlines." The city's dire financial straits at the time caused it to be the only municipality in Connecticut to have its finances under the control of a state board. The state board had ordered the city to raise its property taxes by 18 percent to close a $16 million budget shortfall for the 1991-92 fiscal year. Ganim also campaigned on a law and order platform, promising to hire a hundred new city police officers to combat crime. One reason why Ganim was elected was because "there were few politicians who wanted the grief of being mayor of Bridgeport for the paltry salary of $52,000 a year, hence there was not a lot of strong opposition with which Ganim had to contend." When Ganim became Bridgeport's fiftieth mayor, he was the youngest person to hold the office in city history.
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