Mike Purzycki

Mike Purzycki
Mike Purzycki
56th Mayor of Wilmington
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Dennis P. Williams
Personal details
Born	1945; Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Bette Richitelli
Children	3
Residence	Wilmington, Delaware
Alma mater	University of Delaware
Profession	Politician

Michael S. Purzycki (born 1945) is an American businessman and politician currently serving as the 56th Mayor of Wilmington, Delaware. Prior to serving as Mayor, Purzycki served as the executive director of the Riverfront Development Corporation and helped redevelop the Wilmington Riverfront. Originally from Newark, New Jersey, Purzycki attended the University of Delaware and had a short National Football League career for the New York Giants in the 1967–1968 season.

Early life

Purzycki was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1945. He graduated from Seton Hall Preparatory School in 1963 and received a football scholarship to the University of Delaware. While at the University of Delaware, he played football for four years and set every Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football receiving record. Purzycki graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in history. After college, Purzycki signed a contract to play for the New York Giants in the National Football League for the 1967–1968 season; however, his football career was cut short by injury. In 1968, Purzycki moved to Delaware.[1]

After moving to Delaware, Purzycki worked in real estate and attended Delaware Law School at night. Purzycki graduated from law school and was admitted to the Delaware bar. He would serve as an attorney for the Delaware Senate and would continue to practice law for more than a decade.[1]

Political career

In 1982, Purzycki was elected to the New Castle Council. While serving on County Council, Purzycki spent nine years as Chairman of the council's Finance Committee and wrote the legislation that would become Delaware's first ethics law.[1]

Purzycki was chosen as the executive director of the Riverfront Development Corporation in 1996. Under this role, he would be responsible for helping redevelop the blighted Riverfront area of Wilmington.[1] Under his tenure, Purzycki turned the former industrial Riverfront into a destination for recreation and dining. He turned $350 million in public funding into a $1 billion private investment and brought over 1,400 residents and 6,000 employees to the Riverfront.[2] Purzycki later served as chairman of the Wilmington Hope Commission, where he oversaw the opening of the Achievement Center in 2014. The Achievement Center helps former prisoners transition back into the community.[1]

In 2016, Purzycki ran for Mayor of Wilmington. On September 13, 2016, Purzycki won the Democratic primary with 23.6% of the vote, defeating incumbent Mayor Dennis P. Williams and six other candidates. He was able to bring up his vote totals from voters in his neighborhood in the northwest part of the city. Former Republican Representative and Governor Mike Castle helped Purzycki campaign to Republicans and Independents, with over 1,200 voters in Wilmington switching their voter registration from Republican to Democratic.[3] Purzycki won the general election on November 8, 2016 with 82% of the vote, defeating Republican real estate professional Robert Martin and Independent Democrat teacher Steven Washington.[2] Purzycki was inaugurated as Mayor on January 3, 2017.[4]

Personal life and family

Purzycki lives in the Highlands neighborhood of Wilmington. He married Bette Richitelli in 1984. They have three children - Gage, Adriane, and Mick. Gage lives at home in Wilmington while Adriane and Mick live in New York City.[1]

gollark: > First steps of a proper documentation will land before the end of the year: stay tuned musical_noteWow, how useful.

gollark: https://github.com/ducdetronquito/h11 somewhat.

gollark: https://github.com/Vexu/routez is what I found after 22μs of duckduckgo.

gollark: Probably? I haven't checked.

gollark: Yes. I like how Lua does it, and potentially Zig and Kotlin.

References

"Mayor Michael S. Purzycki". The City of Wilmington, Delaware. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
Jedra, Christina (November 8, 2016). "Wilmington mayor-elect Purzycki: 'Let's get to work'". The News Journal. Wilmington, DE. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
Jedra, Christina; Baker, Karl (September 14, 2016). "Purzycki finds strength in neighborhood voters". The News Journal. Wilmington, DE. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
Read, Zoë (January 4, 2017). "Mike Purzycki sworn in as mayor of Wilmington". Philadelphia, PA: WHYY. Retrieved August 29, 2018.

Political offices
Preceded by Dennis P. Williams	Mayor of Wilmington, Delaware 2017–present	Succeeded by Incumbent

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[mayor-1] "Mayor Michael S. Purzycki". The City of Wilmington, Delaware. Retrieved August 29, 2018.

[newsjournal11816-2] Jedra, Christina (November 8, 2016). "Wilmington mayor-elect Purzycki: 'Let's get to work'". The News Journal. Wilmington, DE. Retrieved August 29, 2018.

[newsjournal91416-3] Jedra, Christina; Baker, Karl (September 14, 2016). "Purzycki finds strength in neighborhood voters". The News Journal. Wilmington, DE. Retrieved August 29, 2018.

[4] Read, Zoë (January 4, 2017). "Mike Purzycki sworn in as mayor of Wilmington". Philadelphia, PA: WHYY. Retrieved August 29, 2018.