Bill Finch

Bill Finch (born March 4, 1956) is an American retired politician who served as mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut for eight years after previously serving in the Connecticut Senate for seven years. As mayor, he was known for his strong environmentally friendly policies and his tax reform efforts, both of which received local and national praise. He was defeated for re-election as mayor in 2015 by former mayor Joe Ganim. Finch has since moved on to the private sector and rejected the idea of running for mayor again.

Early life and family Finch grew up in Trumbull and Bridgeport. He attended the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics, and while he was there served as the student representative to the university's board of trustees and was elected president of the undergraduate student government. He has four children, all of whom lived in Bridgeport and attended Bridgeport public schools, as well as charter and parochial schools.

Political career After graduating from college, Finch moved back to Bridgeport where he became a city council member for nine and a half years. While on the city council, Finch developed a record of cutting taxes, aimed to create new jobs, and was involved in public safety by voting to add more police officers to the city's force and promoting programs such as gun safety lock distribution. During his first year as mayor, Finch focused on professionalizing city government, aiming to stabilize the city's finances, and signing his first Executive Order to Promote Sustainability in Bridgeport. Finch is known for being a conservationist and advocate for programs, legislation and organizations that promote green living and green business in the state of Connecticut. In his first year in office, Finch signed up for the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund's Clean Energy Communities Program. He also signed an Executive Order to promote sustainability in Bridgeport. Finch says, ""We've gotta think green. We've gotta help people live green. And we're not just doing this for a city of 150,000 people. We're trying to do these things that will become best practices in many places."

In April 2010, he traveled to China as part of a small group of U.S. Mayors to discuss sustainability and green initiatives with their counterparts in China.

On July 31, 2012 Finch signed a youth curfew ordinance that the city council passed. The ordinance, phased in over time, banned persons under 18 from being in public without a parent or legal guardian during late hours (11 p.m.-6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and midnight-6 a.m. Friday and Saturday), with various exceptions (such as attendance at or travel to or from school-sponsored events, religious activities, and First Amendment activities). The curfew, passed in response to violent crime, was backed by the Greater Bridgeport branch of the NAACP. The curfew lapsed, but was later revived in 2020.

As mayor, in 2015, Finch received the US EPA Climate Leadership Award.

Post-political career Finch sought re-election in 2015, but lost the Democratic nomination to Joe Ganim, who had previously served as Bridgeport's mayor from 1991 to 2003 before being convicted and jailed on corruption charges. Finch went on to become acting director of the New York State Thruway Authority and Canal Corporation and a fellow at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, and in 2018 he was named executive director of Bridgeport's Discovery Museum and Planetarium. He said, "I was the mayor of a city, now I'm the mayor of a concept." and rejected the prospect of running for Bridgeport mayor again. In 2020, Finch stepped down as Discovery Museum chief. He stated his next career would "be announced at a later date." He currently serves labor (IBEW) and management (NECA) at the Connecticut Labor-Management Cooperation Committee where he lobbies for the interests of the best electricians and helps develop business.

Return to politics In May 2024, Finch announced his candidacy for his old State Senate seat after incumbent Democrat Marilyn Moore announced that she would not seek re-election. He lost in the Democratic primary to Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox of Trumbull.