JOHN FABRIZI

BRIDGEPORT MAYOR

FEBRUARY 1st

John Michael Fabrizi, Mayor of Bridgeport, will speak at the weekly meeting of the Y's Men of Westport/Weston on Thursday, February 1st. In his talk titled, "Building a Better Bridgeport”, the mayor will outline the progress that Bridgeport has made over the last three years and outline his plans for the future of Connecticut's largest city. The meeting begins at 10 AM at the Saugatuck Congregational Church, 245 Post Road East.

A lifelong resident of Bridgeport, John Fabrizi has devoted his life to public service. In his professional career, he has dedicated a quarter century to educating both young people and adults. Prior to assuming his mayoral responsibilities, John served 11 years as assistant director of Bridgeport's adult education program and an additional 14 years teaching 5th and 6th graders. In keeping with his commitment to building a better community, he has inspired countless students, young and old, to pursue their goals by using their educational foundation.

John began his political career in 1983 when he became the employee elected representative to the Bridgeport Civil Service Commission. He served that organization for 14 years, nine of which were as its president. In 1992, John was elected to the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee and to the Democratic State Central Committee four years later. In 1997, he successfully ran for Bridgeport City Council as a representative of the city's North End and was voted president of the Council shortly thereafter.

His passion for people and his community has led him to serve on numerous boards including the American Red Cross, Hall Neighborhood House, the Ralphola Taylor Community Center, among others, and served as co-chair of the United Way's fundraising campaign. John has been a longtime supporter of Bridgeport's annual Barnum Festival, a citywide celebration of the life of P.T. Barnum. Since the early 1990's, he has twice served as Marshal of the “Wing Ding” children's parade and Grand Marshal of the “Great Street Parade” and in 1994 he was recognized as the “Volunteer of the Year”. In 1995, he and his wife volunteered for the Special Olympics World Games.

John is a graduate of the Bridgeport public school system and earned his undergraduate degree in elementary education at Southern Connecticut State University. He continued his studies there by earning a Masters degree in education with a minor in psychology. He also holds a Sixth Year diploma from the School of Business and Public Management at the University of Bridgeport. He and his wife Mary have been married for 20 years and have a 19 year-old son, Michael.

For more information about the Y's Men, contact Bill Meyer, Membership Chairman at 226-3704 or Jon Fox, President at 227-2679 or visit their web site: www.ysmenwestportweston.org