John DeStefano, Jr.
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John DeStefano, Jr. (born May 11, 1955) is the current mayor of New Haven, Connecticut. He was the Democratic candidate in 2006 for Governor of Connecticut, unsuccessfully challenging incumbent Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell.
A high-level aide under mayor Biagio DiLieto, DeStefano first ran for the mayor's office in 1989, after DiLieto announced he would not seek re-election. DeStefano won the endorsement of the New Haven Democratic Party, but was defeated in a Democratic primary by John Daniels. DeStefano ran again, successfully, in 1993. He has served six consecutive terms, during which his efforts have included a massive overhaul of New Haven's public schools, based principally on the magnet school model, and New Haven's selection as a federal "Empowerment Zone". Recently, he has had to deal with public perceptions that violent crime is on the rise in New Haven.[1]
On August 8, John DeStefano defeated Mayor Dannel Malloy (D-Stamford) in the Connecticut Democratic Primary for Governor, becoming the Democratic Party's official candidate. DeStefano was defeated by the very popular Rell in the general election by a relatively wide margin [1] and conceded that night [2]. His goal was to prevent the people of Connecticut from paying for Wal-Mart healthcare, and his line was "If Wal-Mart won't cover their employee's healthcare coverage, we will. And, we'll send Wal-Mart the bill."
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- New Haven Mayor's Office
- John DeStefano for Connecticut - official campaign website
| Preceded by John C. Daniels |
Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut 1994 – present |
Incumbent |
