John DeStefano, Jr.
John DeStefano, Jr. was sworn in as New Haven’s 49th Mayor on January 1, 1994. In 2010, he began his ninth term in office. Since his inauguration in 1994, Mayor DeStefano has worked hard and successfully to build strong neighborhoods, a vibrant City center, and a community of opportunity and optimism.
Under Mayor DeStefano’s leadership, the City has celebrated multiple milestones and witnessed achievements that have gained local and national acclaim. The City drew national attention in 2007 for its launch of the Elm City Resident Card program which provides identification cards for all interested residents of the City giving them access to basic public services and a contains a debit feature. Championed by the Mayor, New Haven became one of four cities to be honored with a Gold Award for Municipal Excellence at the National League of Cities (NLC) Congress of Cities in New Orleans for this program.
New Haven has been awarded the highly regarded "All-America City" prize three times during DeStefano’s tenure, in 1998, 2003 and in 2008. The most recent win, in 2008, celebrated the success of the Elm City Resident Card, Street Outreach Workers Program and CitySeed Farmers Markets. In 1999, based on the city’s success as a federal Enterprise Community, New Haven was named a federal Empowerment Zone, one of just fifteen cities given that status out of the 119 communities that sought the honor. In 2000, the city was recognized by numerous national newspapers for attracting high-tech and biotech companies to New Haven, drawing more than $1 billion in private investment. Since taking office in 1994, crime has been cut in half through a nationally recognized community policing initiative and unique policing partnerships. In 2003 and more recently by U.S. Airways’ in-flight magazine in 2008, publications from across the country featured New Haven as a travel destination not to be missed.
Believing that a quality public education is perhaps the best avenue for creating strong people, strong neighborhoods, and strong cities and towns, DeStefano has worked hard to develop innovative programs that have been recognized across the state and across the nation. The New Haven magnet school model was recommended as the solution to racial and economic integration in the Connecticut Supreme Court’s landmark Sheff v. O’Neil decision. New Haven’s $1.5 billion school construction program has received national and statewide attention for effectively leveraging the state’s matching funds to create new and improved schools with smaller classroom sizes for New Haven’s children. The Mayor’s Early Childhood Initiative has increased the accessibility and quality of early education in New Haven, and he used lessons learned in New Haven to craft the National League of Cities Early Childhood Challenge, which has been adopted by hundreds of cities and towns across America. Perhaps most importantly, the high school dropout rate has been cut in half through a myriad of aggressive community-based initiatives.
The Housing Authority of New Haven (HANH), which was on the verge of a federal take-over when DeStefano first became Mayor in 1994, has gone from being one of the lowest performers nationally to one of the highest, earning two HOPE VI grants. The City’s own homeownership programs and its partnerships with other institutions and agencies have helped thousands of New Haven families become homeowners since 1994, both stabilizing neighborhoods and creating wealth.
Mayor DeStefano has served as president of the National League of Cities - the nation's oldest and largest organization representing some 18,000 American cities and towns - and is a past president of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. He is widely credited for effectively prioritizing early education and homeland security issues for America’s cities and towns, while helping to win key funding battles on these fronts.
Born May 11, 1955, Mayor DeStefano is a lifelong New Haven resident. Prior to his election, he served in City government for more than 10 years as Deputy Controller, Chief Administrative Officer and Development Administrator. John and his wife, Kathy DeStefano, met at the University of Connecticut when both were undergraduates. They were married while John was a graduate student completing his Master's Degree in Public Affairs at the University of Connecticut. Kathy is a kindergarten teacher and they are the parents of two sons, Daniel and Jim. Dan graduated from the University of Connecticut and Jim graduated from Providence College.