Leonard S. "Lenny" Paoletta (born November 9, 1934) is an American lawyer and former mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut from 1981 to 1985.
[3] Paoletta first ran for the Connecticut State Senate in 1962, but lost the general election to Louis Gladstone.
[6] As mayor, Paoletta clashed with Joseph A. Walsh, who had been Bridgeport's superintendent of police for 22 years.
[9] In December 1983, at Paoletta's urging, the city's Board of Police Commissioners voted 6-0 to force Walsh into retirement.
[8] Walsh subsequently challenged his dismissal, and the Bridgeport Civil Service Commission ordered his reinstatement.
[9] According to the New York Times, "two burly detectives, acting under orders from the Mayor, blocked him from entering his office.
The dispute then shifted to the courts and a lengthy hearing on 185 charges of misconduct that the city drew up against the superintendent.