Thomas W. Bucci

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 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". 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". 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."

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" of $58.3 million in state-backed bonds for deficit relief.

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.

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."