Mary C. Moran

Mary Moran
50th Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut
In office
November 13, 1989 – November 11, 1991
Preceded by Thomas W. Bucci
Succeeded by Joseph Ganim
Personal details
Born (1933-08-01) August 1, 1933
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Political party Republican

Mary Chapar Moran (born August 1, 1933) is a former mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Mayor of Bridgeport

Moran Chapar Moran[1] was the first woman to service as Bridgeport mayor.[2]

In 1977, Moran unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for city clerk.[2][3]

In 1989, Moran–then "a self-described housewife and real-estate broker" without experience in public office[2]—won the Republican nomination for mayor in an upset, narrowly defeating the party-endorsed candidate, former Leonard S. Paoletta, with 2,004 votes (50.4%) to Paoletta's 1,972 votes (49.6%).[3] Moran proceeded to defeat two-term incumbent mayor Thomas W. Bucci.[2] Moran was a Republican in a heavily Democratic city, yet won the election by 11 percentage points.[2] Moran was sworn in at the Klein Memorial Auditorium on November 13, 1989.[2] In 1988, the year prior to her election, the State of Connecticut had imposed a financial review board for the city.[4]

In 1991, Moran became famous for filing a municipal bankruptcy petition for the city in U.S. bankruptcy court in an effort to avoid an 18 percent tax that the financial review board had proposed.[5][6] The petition was unsuccessful; the bankruptcy court determined that Bridgeport was not insolvent.[7][8][9]

Moran's move was deeply unpopular, even vilified.[10][11] The filing "made Connecticut's largest city a symbol of the nation's urban struggles."[12] In a 2012 op-ed, Moran defended the decision as the only way to address Bridgeport's steep structural budget deficits.[11]

Moran lost the 1991 election to Joseph P. Ganim. Ganim received 15,768 votes (54%) compared to 10,951 for Moran and 2,258 for other candidates.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Steve Halvonik, Groups Credit Smith With Assist, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (February 9, 1990).
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nick Ravo, A Novice Reigns as Bridgeport Mayor, New York Times (November 15, 1989).
  3. 1 2 For First Time, Democrats Choose A Black for Mayor in New Haven, Associated Press (September 14, 1989).
  4. ↑ Gerald Benjamin & Richard P. Nathan, Regionalism and Realism: A Study of Governments in the New York Metropolitan Area (Bookings Institution Press: 2001), p. 13.
  5. ↑ Rob Sullivan, Political Corruption in Bridgeport: Scandal in the Park City (The History Press, 2014), p. 93.
  6. ↑ David Berman, Local Government and the States: Autonomy, Politics and Policy: Autonomy, Politics and Policy (Routledge, 2015).
  7. ↑ Jeff Holtz, Bridgeport Mayor's Office, and Race for It, Drawing Spotlight as Usual, New York Times (June 10, 2007).
  8. ↑ Benjamin & Nathan, p. 13.
  9. ↑ George Judson, U.S. Judge Blocks Bridgeport From Bankruptcy Court, New York Times (August 2, 1991).
  10. ↑ Sullivan, p. 93.
  11. 1 2 Mary C. Moran, In 1991, bankruptcy was best for Bridgeport, Connecticut Post (September 14, 2012).
  12. ↑ Kirk Johnson, Bridgeport Mayor Falls, but No Wide Anti-Incumbent Trend Is Seen, New York Times (November 6, 1991).
  13. ↑ Kirk Johnson, New Mayor in Bridgeport Faces the Same Old Problems, New York Times (November 7, 1991).
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