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| Affiliation | Republican |
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2009-01-01 |
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| Name | Sam Caligiuri |
| Address | 25 Hartley Drive
Waterbury, Connecticut 06705, United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
August 23, 1966
(58 years)
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| Contributor | MadViking |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Jul 11, 2021 01:10am |
| Tags |
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| Info | July 26, 2001 is a date that Sam Caligiuri will never forget. That morning, he entered the hospital for elective knee surgery and by the time he awoke he was the Mayor of Waterbury. Sam had been serving as President of the Waterbury Board of Aldermen. Under the City's Charter, the President of the Board of Aldermen becomes the Acting Mayor of the City when the sitting Mayor becomes incapacitated. Sam became the Acting Mayor when Philip Giordano was arrested that day. Sam swung into action immediately. From his hospital bed, he selected a chief of staff and put a plan in place to lead his City through this tragic episode in its history. Sam took a leave of absence from his law practice and served for the remainder of his predecessor's term, which ended on December 31, 2001. Sam chose not to run for election as Mayor because he was convinced that removing himself from the political process would enable him to get the most done for the people of Waterbury.
As Acting Mayor, Sam led a number of important reforms. Sam reformed the City's process for awarding towing contracts, which was widely viewed as corrupt. Sam reformed that system by making it based solely on merit and a company's qualifications. In a similar reform, Sam began the process of making City lawyers subject to the civil service rules rather than patronage. Fiscally, Sam negotiated two collective bargaining agreements that saved the City and its taxpayers millions of dollars. Towards the end of his term, Sam conducted an unprecedented transition of power to his successor, Michael Jarjura, a Democrat. Sam won wide acclaim for conducting extensive briefings for the mayor-elect and including the mayor-elect in numerous meetings on substantive issues.
Sam became the President of the Board of Aldermen two years before becoming Acting Mayor through the support of a coalition of Republicans and Democrats on the Board who shared Sam's unease with the direction that Phil Giordano was taking the City. One newspaper reporting on Sam's election as President noted that the change meant that Giordano no longer had "what many of his critics called a rubber-stamp board." As President, Sam led the Board through two of the most turbulent years in its history. Sam's tenure was marked by bi-partisan votes on highly contentious issues such as the City's budget and the State take over of the City's finances. In addition to his experience as Acting Mayor and President of the Waterbury Board of Aldermen, Sam served as an Alderman for three additional years, and he spent two years as Deputy Legal Counsel in the Office of the Governor of Connecticut.
Professionally, Sam is an attorney. He is a partner in the Hartford office of Day, Berry & Howard LLP. He has received the Connecticut Law Tribune's Impact Award, and he has been honored by the Connecticut Italian-American Bar Association.
Sam has long been active in various community and civic organizations. Currently, Sam serves as Chairman of the board of directors of the United Way of Greater Waterbury, and he serves as a Trustee of the Connecticut Community Foundation. Sam is also a member of the board of directors of the Governor's Prevention Partnership and Connecticut Legal Services. He is a former member of the board of directors of the Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce. Sam was also recently appointed by Governor Rell to serve as a member of her Commission on Education Finance.
Sam is the son of immigrants, Giacomo and Marie Caligiuri. Like so many others, Sam's parents came to the United States for greater opportunity and worked tirelessly to raise and educate Sam and his brother, John. Giacomo worked as a machine operator in various factories, and Marie worked as an aide in nursing home kitchens. Sam is the first member of his family to graduate from college. Sam is a graduate of Boston College, received a graduate degree from Yale University Divinity School and his law degree from Catholic University of America.
Sam is a life long resident of Waterbury, where he currently resides with his wife Lori and their children Grace and Owen.
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