Bridgeport, CT— Continuing in his efforts to reorganize city government to facilitate more efficient interactions among City departments and to provide better quality services to the public, Mayor Ganim announced the following changes to the Economic Development, Planning, Community Development, and Small & Minority Business Offices, effective immediately.

• Cathy Fletcher has been appointed to the position of Planning Director for the City of Bridgeport.

A Bridgeport resident, Fletcher received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Engineering from Lehigh University and her Master’s Degree in City Planning from Boston University.  Prior to entering the field of community development and planning, Fletcher worked in the private sector as an Environmental Engineer with the Ramboll Corporation, a multinational development consulting firm. Fletcher joined the City of Bridgeport in the spring of 2022 and has served as the senior city planner for most of the past year during which time she has expanded the department’s community engagement efforts and has secured significant federal and state grant funding to advance the development of the waterfront, of a safer street network, and a more climate resilient city.  

• Jonathan Delgado has been appointed to the position of Deputy Director of Economic Development.

Delgado has served as Senior Economic Development Associate within the department for the past two years.  He has led the City’s public art program, its downtown place-making initiatives, and its collaborative work with the Connecticut Main Street Center to advance the City’s neighborhood commercial districts.  He has been instrumental in working across departments to secure much needed grant funding for the redevelopment of brownfields within the city.  A Bridgeport native, Delgado received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Connecticut and his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Fairfield University, where he also previously served as the Assistant Director for Community-Engaged Research at the University’s Center for Social Impact.

• Office of Property Management

With support from the City Council, the Ganim Administration has created a central office for Property Management, which will be staffed by Joseph Formato and report directly to the Chief Administrative Office. Formato served in various roles in operations, corporate finance, analytics, and project management for 30 years at People’s United Bank. Formato also comes to city government with 20 years of experience in real estate and property management.

• Reassignment of OPED Roles Responsibilities

The Office of Planning and Economic Development will be undergoing a reassignment and reallocation of responsibilities and projects. A notable example is that Max Perez will take on the important role of liaison to residents, contractors, and developers as they navigate the permitting process, while transitioning many of his existing city property duties to the Office of Property Management.

• Small & Minority Business Enterprise Office

The Office of Small & Minority Business Enterprise will be physically relocated next to the Office of Planning and Economic Development in order to build a stronger working relationship and collaboration among those offices for the benefit of the business community.

• Community Development Office

In an effort to strengthen and prioritize community development within the City, the Community Development Block Grant Office will be physically relocated to its own space at the Margaret Morton Government Center, and a new position of Manager of Community Development will be created.

• Vacant Positions

Several budgeted positions, including Senior Economic Development Associate and Planner II positions, will be publicly posted in order to ensure the Planning and Economic Development Offices are fully staffed.