Lauretti’s Political Lariat–Mayoral Run In Bridgeport?

Lauretti as rimgmaster
Former Barnum Festival Ringmaster Mark Lauretti’s top hat of surprises.

Is he bored? Just having fun? Yes, there’s a curious rumor afoot that Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti, who has deep roots in Bridgeport, is noodling a run for Bridgeport mayor. While a popular Republican mayor of Shelton for the past 27 years, would Mayor Mark really move to Bridgeport against a 10 to 1 Democratic registration advantage? When you’re bored and void of any immediate options outside of Shelton following a failed run for governor, fantastical thoughts abound.

Lauretti, a former Barnum Festival ringmaster, has a way of pulling out a few political guffaws from his hat. On Sunday, after leaders of Bridgeport’s Columbus Parade festivities could not work out a resolution to police security costs, Lauretti hosted the parade in Shelton.

No serious opponent has stepped up to challenge Mayor Joe Ganim who’s eyeing reelection next year.

After a scratchy run for governor in which he failed to petition his way onto the ballot, Lauretti has fallen in line with Bob Stefanowski, the GOP candidate for governor. Now if Stefanowski wins, maybe he’d offer Lauretti a ticket out of Shelton via a commissionership.

Lauretti seems to be titillated about a Park City run. He’s not saying a flat-out no, although sources in his circle say he’s having fun with the notion.

Lauretti told Neil Vigdor of the Hartford Courant:

“I’ve said it in casual conversation that I won’t mind being the mayor of Bridgeport. I think it’s fair to say that I’ve done my job in Shelton and gotten tremendous results. I think I could bring about a change that is necessary and is required for a city that was once great to be on the track to returning to that greatness.”

There are no immediate plans for Lauretti to move to Bridgeport, where he taught science and coached basketball at Central High School during the 1980s, he said.

“My wife might divorce me,” Lauretti quipped. “Look, I’m a guy that likes challenges and I guess that’s the competitor in me. If you can’t be governor, then maybe there are other options for me politically.”

Hmmm, maybe Lauretti and Joe could settle the whole matter over a game of one-on-one on the basketball court. Lauretti does have about a 10-inch height advantage. Better than a 10-1 registration disadvantage.

If not height, Mayor Mark and Mayor Joe do have something in common: court records declaring them both “Public Official Number 1.”

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19 comments

  1. Just what the people of the city of Bridgeport needs, another crook sitting in the mayor’s office. Does Lauretti have a good relationship with Emperor Mario?

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  2. No thanks, we already have a crook in office, the only difference between Joe & Lauretti is Joe was greedy and got indicted, Lauretti picks his spots to steal and is stealth.

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  3. I heard a companion rumor that county government and urban-center/county annexation rights will be
    restored in legislation by the GA this year, as suburban and Gold Coast legislators have realized Connecticut’s 169-town free-for-all is an idiotic, Yankee absurdity and the prime reason that Connecticut is dying and can’t get out of its own way… So Mark must have advance warning that he will soon probably be a de facto Bridgeport resident anyway and wants to get a jump on soon-to-be Bridgeport sector, Trumbull, which will field Tim Herbst as its post-annexation Bridgeport mayoral candidate (and that Herbst has been practicing eyeball cigar-snuffing on Lauretti facial likenesses… 🙂

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          1. Okay, my two friends, you made it to Italy before me. That’s the only Country I would like to visit, I think I still have relatives there. My grandparents came as “immigrants” and built a family and life here in America. Oh well, I’ll have to live vicariously through both of you, you can tell me how it is there.

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  4. They both started their mayoral terms in 1991, right?
    That means during the during the entire time Ganim was a “guest of the government” (hat tip JML), Lauretti was Mayor of Shelton. He could bill himself as the nonstop/uninterrupted mayor who added value for 27 years and has the track record to prove it. Bonus: could he sway Scinto?
    I’d say Lauretti is overqualified to be Bridgeport’s mayor and he represents a challenger I never considered. If I were in his circle, I’d be doing cartwheels!
    Count on Lennie Grimaldi to keep his readers updated and forever curious.

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  5. Blame it on Jeff Kohut and his “municipal consolidation” insights.
    Rumor Mill :
    In Shelton, a DRAFT LAURETTI t-shirt was seen in three places and
    In Trumbull, several DRAFT HERBST t-shirts was spotted at the mall and
    In Bridgeport, DRAFT WALKER t-shirts quickly sold out.
    Will the pandemonium ever end?

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  6. I check with City Attorney Hamilton Burger and he told me that his interpretation of the Carter, clearly shows that Mark Lauretti can be Mayor of both the City of Shelton and the city Bridgeport’s at the same time.
    But he would have to move-in with Eleanor Guedes for three days a week to maintain residency.

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  7. I’ve been following Shelton. They devastated the environment with the high rise offices in the hills that should had been placed in the embodied energy, infrastructure and BuildOng foot prints in Bridgeport all going to waste
    I’ve followed also many positive developments of adaptive re use, bike trail infrastructure and commercial development downtown Shelton with Bridgeport native John aGuedes taking the lead
    Who in their right mind would prefer Mario/Ganim over Lauretti?

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  8. *** Shelton don’t need a down-town, they have plenty of stores & businesses moving there every year. Many people from Bpt. work in Shelton & have or are moving in that direction. Must be doing something right, no? ***

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