Thomas W. Bucci
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Thomas William Bucci (born April 17, 1948) is an American
lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
and former
mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut The Mayor is the chief executive of Bridgeport, Connecticut who is directly elected for a four-year term. They have the power to issue executive orders, declare emergencies, submit a yearly budget to the city council and makes appointments to city ...
. 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 Mary Chapar Moran (August 1, 1933 – July 10, 2024) was an American politician who served as mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut from 1989 to 1991. She is the first and only woman to be mayor of Bridgeport to date. A member of the Republican Part ...
thus returning Bridgeport back to Republican leadership. Bucci is also known for successfully arguing the
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
case ''Connecticut v. Teal'' in front of the
Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
.


Family and personal life

Bucci is the cousin of Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee Chairman Mario Testa. Bucci has two children and nine grandchildren.


Education and Legal career

Bucci graduated from
Notre Dame Catholic High School (Connecticut) Notre Dame Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport. Notre Dame Catholic High School was founded in 1955 by the Most Reveren ...
. He subsequently obtained a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
from
Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private, Roman Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1963 by Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholi ...
in 1969 and a
juris doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
from
University of Connecticut School of Law The University of Connecticut School of Law (UConn Law) is the law school associated with the University of Connecticut and located in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. As ...
in 1973. Bucci graduated
cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
from the University of Connecticut School of Law. Bucci was
admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
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 The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory covers the states of Connecticut, New York, and Vermont, and it has appellate jurisdic ...
, and the
U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
. Bucci is a current member and former president of the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association and a current member of the
Connecticut Bar Association The Connecticut State Bar Association (CBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of Connecticut. History The CBA was founded on June 2, 1875. In 1878, members of CBA met in Saratoga Springs, New York, to lead in founding the national bar ...
and
American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...
. Bucci is a founding partner of the
law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...
of Willinger, Willinger & Bucci, P.C. He argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in the
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
case of ''Connecticut v. Teal'' that dealt with
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requi ...
. Ultimately, the
Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
sided with Bucci and declared that the State Of Connecticut engaged in behavior that had a discriminatory impact against African Americans.https://www.lexisnexis.com/community/casebrief/p/casebrief-connecticut-v-teal LexisNexis (accessed October 6, 2020). Other notable cases include his defense of Dr. Moshe Gai, a professor who was fired from the
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...
.


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. Bucci then unseated incumbent mayor Leonard S. Paoletta, the Republican nominee, in the general election and became mayor. In 1987, Bucci won the Democratic primary with 6,155 votes, defeating
State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...
Robert T. Keeley Jr who had 2,251 votes. 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".Nick Ravo
A Novice Reigns as Bridgeport Mayor
''New York Times'' (November 15, 1989).
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".
''New York Times'' (November 8, 1989).
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." 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.


"Armpit of New England"

In 1987, ''
Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...
'' magazine ranked Bridgeport as the nation's 37th-best place to live. In response, newspaper columnist Mike Levine of
Middletown, New York Middletown is the largest Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Orange County, New York, Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk ...
—which had come in 38th—repeated a slur in his column (attributed to
Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...
) that Bridgeport is "the armpit of
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
."


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. In 1988, the City of Bridgeport agreed to let the State of Connecticut monitor city finances in exchange for a "
bailout A bailout is the provision of financial help to a corporation or country which otherwise would be on the brink of bankruptcy. A bailout differs from the term ''bail-in'' (coined in 2010) under which the bondholders or depositors of global syst ...
" of $58.3 million in state-backed bonds for deficit relief.Connecticut to Fight Bridgeport mayor on bankruptcy petition
Associated Press (June 8, 1991).


Aftermath

On June 6, 1991, the City of Bridgeport (then under Bucci's successor, Mayor Mary Moran) filed a
Chapter 9 Chapter Nine refers to a ninth Chapter (books), chapter in a book. Chapter Nine, Chapter 9, or Chapter IX may also refer to: Television * Chapter 9 (American Horror Story), "Chapter 9" (''American Horror Story'') * Chapter 9 (Eastbound & Down), "C ...
petition (municipal bankruptcy) in U.S. bankruptcy court. The city faced a $12 million gap in its fiscal year 1991-92 budget of $304 million. 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.


Census of 1990

Bucci was mayor during the
1990 United States census The 1990 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 248,709,873, an increase of 9.8 percent over the 226,545,805 persons enumerated during the 1980 census. Approximatel ...
, where he sought to ensure that the homeless were included in the count.


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. Bucci was quoted as saying "It's a sight out of Beirut, Lebanon."


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bucci, Thomas W. 1948 births Connecticut Democrats Connecticut lawyers Living people Mayors of Bridgeport, Connecticut Sacred Heart University alumni University of Connecticut School of Law alumni 20th-century mayors of places in Connecticut