Thomas William Bucci (born April 17, 1948) is an American lawyer and former mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Bucci served two terms in office until he was defeated and succeeded by Mary C. Moran thus returning Bridgeport back to Republican leadership.
Bucci is also known for successfully arguing the civil rights case Connecticut v. Teal in front of the Supreme Court of the United States.
[3][6] Other notable cases include his defense of Dr. Moshe Gai, a professor who was fired from the University of Connecticut.
Moran criticized Bucci for the city's chronic financial problems and high crime rate.
Bucci was noted for his role in Bridgeport receiving a bailout package of $60 million in state-backed bonds during his tenure.
In response, newspaper columnist Mike Levine of Middletown, New York—which had come in 38th—repeated a slur in his column (attributed to Paul Newman) that Bridgeport is "the armpit of New England.
[15] Bucci was mayor during the 1990 United States Census, where he sought to ensure that the homeless were included in the count.
[16] 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.