Joseph Peter Ganim (born October 21, 1959) is an American Democratic politician and former attorney who is the mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was elected mayor of the city six times, serving from 1991 to 2003, when he resigned after being convicted on federal felony corruption charges. In 2015, Ganim mounted a successful political comeback and was again elected Bridgeport mayor.Associated Press, Ganim Sworn In As Bridgeport Mayor Five Years After Getting Out of Prison (December 1, 2015).Kristin Hussey, Joseph Ganim, Disgraced Ex-Mayor of Bridgeport, Conn., Wins Back Job, New York Times (November 3, 2015). Ganim was sworn in as mayor on December 1, 2015. Ganim has twice unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for governor of Connecticut, running in 1994 and 2018.
Ganim was reelected to a consecutive term in 2019, and 2024, and is currently serving his seventh term as mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Early life and education Ganim was born to George W. Ganim Sr. and Josephine Ganim of Easton, Connecticut.Weddings: Joseph Ganim and Jennifer White, New York Times (May 23, 1993). Ganim's paternal grandparents, Wanis Joseph Ganim and Rose Baghdadi, were Lebanese immigrants who opened a grocery store in Bridgeport. Ganim's mother was the daughter of Dimian Tarick, a Syrian immigrant and Anna DeBernardi, who moved to Bridgeport from Naples. Ganim's father was a prominent Bridgeport attorney and Republican Party loyalist who was a lieutenant of local Republican boss Ed Sandula.Sullivan, p. 97. Ganim, on the other hand, became a Democrat.
Ganim graduated from the University of Connecticut and received a J.D. degree in 1983 from the University of Bridgeport Law School (which later became Quinnipiac University School of Law).
Early political career In 1988, a young Ganim made his first run for office against Lee Samowitz in the 129th House District, a Connecticut House district in Bridgeport.Sullivan, p. 97. Ganim lost, but only by about 150 votes.
First mayoralty (1991–2003) Ganim was elected the 51st mayor of Bridgeport in 1991, receiving 15,768 votes (54%) and defeating incumbent Mayor Mary C. Moran, who received 10,951 votes, and two minor party candidates, who got a combined total of 2,258 additional votes.Kirk Johnson, New Mayor in Bridgeport Faces the Same Old Problems, New York Times (November 7, 1991). During his campaign, Ganim accused Moran of making the city "a symbol of urban failure with a bankruptcy filing that drew national headlines."
Ganim was reelected four times, serving five terms.Joseph De Avila, Ganim, Former Bridgeport Mayor Who Served Prison Time, Wins Primary, Wall Street Journal (September 17, 2015). In 1993, Ganim won reelection in a landslide, defeating Republican Anthony G. Minutolo by a 4–1 margin.Hilary Waldman, Mayors in Waterbury, Bridgeport Re-elected, Hartford Courant (November 3, 1993). In 1995, Ganim defeated Republican challenger George H. Comer, the town chairman, by a 6–1 margin.Associated Press, Election 1995: Connecticut: Waterbury's 7-Term Mayor Ousted (November 8, 1995).Jon Lender, Democrats Win Key City Races, Lose Waterbury, Hartford Courant (November 8, 1995).
First term At the time Ganim took office, the city's dire financial straits caused it to be the only municipality in Connecticut to have its finances under the control of a state board. The state board had ordered the city to raise its property taxes by 18 percent to close a $16 million budget shortfall for the 1991–92 fiscal year. Ganim also campaigned on a law and order platform, promising to hire a hundred new city police officers to combat crime. One reason why Ganim was elected was because "there were few politicians who wanted the grief of being mayor of Bridgeport for the paltry salary of $52,000 a year, hence there was not a lot of strong opposition with which Ganim had to contend." When Ganim became Bridgeport's fiftieth mayor, he was the youngest person to hold the office in city history.Sullivan, pp. 97–98.
As mayor, Ganim began to clean up the city's East End, reducing the area's notorious crime rates, and reclaiming real estate from drug gangs. Under Ganim, the city installed street lights and street signs and planted trees and flowers. In 1992, the city removed a pile of construction debris (labeled "Mount Trashmore") that had been illegally dumped by a demolition business.'Mount Trashmore' to Be Removed, Associated Press (May 14, 1992).
1994 gubernatorial candidacy
In 1994, three years after becoming mayor, Ganim ran for the Democratic nomination for governor of Connecticut. Ganim withdrew from the race in July 1994, less than a week before the Connecticut Democratic convention, after lagging in the polls, and endorsed John B. Larson, the State Senate president pro tem and the front-runner for the party's nomination.Michele Jacklin, Ganim's New Gubernatorial Campaign Ad, Hartford Courant (June 18, 1994).Ganim Is Leaving Race for Governor, New York Times (July 8, 1994).Craig W. Baggott & Michele Jacklin, Ganim Drops Out of Race For Governor, Backs Larson, Hartford Courant (July 8, 1994).
Subsequent terms (second, third, fourth, fifth) In 1997, Ganim defeated Republican challenger Joan K. Magnuson by a huge margin.Sullivan, p. 107. In that election, Ganim's appearances on taxpayer-funded commercials "boosting his city's image" were criticized by his opponents, who believed that the commercials were tools for re-election.Peggy McCarthy, When All Politics Is Truly Local, New York Times (November 2, 1997).
Under Ganim, the City of Bridgeport joined a number of U.S. cities (others included New Orleans, Miami, and Chicago) to file legal actions against the handgun industry, arguing that they were liable for product liability negligence in failing to use technology to make their products safer, leading to handgun violence.Fred Musante, After Tobacco, Handgun Lawsuits, New York Times (January 31, 1999).Bruce Shapiro, Going for the Gunmakers, The Nation (February 4, 1999).David Segal, Blaming Bullets for Urban Blight, Conn. Mayor to Sue Gunmakers, Washington Post (January 27, 1999). Such suits were inspired by successful litigation against the tobacco industry. The City of Bridgeport's suit was filed in Connecticut Superior Court in January 1999; it named Smith & Wesson, 11 other U.S. firearms manufacturers, three handgun trade associations, and a dozen gun dealers in southwestern Connecticut as defendants. Ganim said that the city's action aimed at "creating law with litigation...That's the route that we're going because [the industry has] always very effectively, with big money, lobbied the legislature and kept laws from being passed." The city sought $100 million in damages for the cost of human life lost and the public cost of treating shooting victims; Ganim said that the city would agree to a settlement, "if the companies will agree to improve the design of their handguns to prevent their misuse." The suit was unsuccessful: the court dismissed for lack of standing in December 1999,John Springer, Makers of Guns Prevail in Court: Dismissal of Bridgeport's Suit Hurts Cases Nationwide, Hartford Courant (December 11, 1999). and the dismissal was unanimously upheld by the state supreme court in 2001.Ganim v. Smith and Wesson Corp. , 1258 Conn. 313, 780 A.2d 98 (2001).Lynne Tuohy, Court Disarms Gun Lawsuit, Hartford Courant (October 2, 2001).
In 1999, Ganim was one of three American mayors to receive the City Livability Program Award from the United States Conference of Mayors.Kathy Amoroso, 1999 City Livability Program Award Winners Announced at Annual Conference of Mayors in New Orleans , 67th Annual Conference of Mayors. The award was conferred for Ganim's "Clean and Green program," which addressed urban decay and blight through a beautification campaign which saw the demolition of more than five buildings and the development of twelve new city parks. A cornerstone of the city's redevelopment efforts was the construction of a new baseball park (The Ballpark at Harbor Yard) for a minor league baseball team, the building of a new arena (Webster Bank Arena), and the redevelopment of industrial land on the city's waterfront.Joseph De Avila, Felon Ex-Mayor Seeks Old Job in Bridgeport, Wall Street Journal (May 14, 2015). Ganim's term also saw the competition of demolition of Father Panik Village—a housing project notorious for drugs and violent crime; the final fifteen buildings were razed in 1993.Sullivan, p. 100.
Ganim also benefited personally, however, by collecting kickbacks from developers, eventually leading to his prosecution (see below).
Conviction on corruption charges On March 19, 2003, Ganim was convicted of 16 federal counts: one count each of racketeering, extortion, racketeering conspiracy, and bribery; two counts of bribery conspiracy; eight counts of mail fraud, and two counts of filing a false tax return.Editorial: Court Right to Deny Law License to Ganim: State Supreme Court squashes former mayor's effort to get license back, Hartford Courant (April 9, 2014).Paul von Zielbauer, Bridgeport Mayor Convicted On 16 Charges of Corruption, New York Times (March 20, 2003). Ganim was acquitted on six other counts. Ganim surrendered his law license upon conviction. Over six years, Ganim engaged in a shakedown of city contractors, accepting more than a half-million dollars; he took bribes in the form of cash, food and wine, clothing, home renovations, and diamonds.Russell Berman, From a Prison Cell to the Mayor's Office, The Atlantic (November 4, 2015). In April 2003, two weeks after being convicted, Ganim resigned from office.John Christoffersen, Ganim resigns as Bridgeport mayor following his conviction, Associated Press (April 2, 2003). He was replaced by councilman John M. Fabrizi.
Ganim faced a possible sentence of up to 126 years, $500,000 in restitution, and $4 million in fines. Federal prosecutors asked for a sentence of ten years and one month, while the defense asked for a sentence of no more than three years and ten months.Paul von Zielbauer, Federal Judge Sentences Former Mayor of Bridgeport to 9 Years in Corruption Case, New York Times (March 20, 2003). Testimonials seeking leniency were filed with the court on Ganim's behalf, including one from Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York. On July 1, 2003, U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton sentenced Ganim to nine years in prison and about $300,000 in fines and restitution, in addition to $175,000 that he had previously stipulated that he owed. Judge Arterton said that Ganim's crimes were "stuff that cynicism is made of" and determined by clear and convincing evidence that Ganim had "lied to the jury when he denied any knowledge of fee-splitting deals and other incriminating evidence." Ganim appealed, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld Ganim's convictions in December 2007.United States of America v. Joseph P. Ganim, 510 F.3d 134 (2nd Cir. 2007).
Federal prison sentence Ganim surrendered in September 2003 and served most of his sentence at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey.Metro Briefing: Connecticut: Bridgeport: Ganim to Serve Time at Fort Dix, New York Times (July 18, 2003).Associated Press, Ganim moved to federal prison in Pa. (February 11, 2009). He unsuccessfully petitioned for a transfer to FCI Otisville in New York, to be with his family.Ganim v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, 235 F. App'x 882 (3d Cir. 2007). In 2009, Ganim was transferred to the FCI McKean prison camp in Pennsylvania. Ganim then served the last seven months of his sentence at a halfway house in Hartford.Associated Press, Ex-Bridgeport Mayor Ganim freed from prison (July 19, 2010). Ganim's sentence was reduced by a year for participating in a drug-treatment program.
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