East Haven Mayor Joe Maturo Announces Plans to Retire

East Haven Mayor Joe Maturo has announced that he will be retiring and will not seek any elective office in November.

Maturo released a statement by email on Saturday:

“After careful reflection and discussions with family and friends, I have decided that I will not be seeking any elective office this November. At the end of my current term as Mayor, I will be nearing my 69th birthday, and have decided that it is time for me to spend more time with my family, and to start enjoying life as a full-time retiree.

“I have spent a total of 38 years serving the Town of East Haven after leaving the military. First, as a clerk in the police department for two years. Then, as a firefighter for 18 years. Finally, as Mayor of the best town in Connecticut for 18 years.

“I would not trade this time for anything. I love this community and have enjoyed serving it and its residents for these 38 years. I want to thank all who I have served with, both elected and appointed officials, and the many town employees with whom I have worked with over the years. They are all very hard working and dedicated individuals. I would also like to thank the residents for allowing me the privilege to serve as their Mayor for 18 of the last 22 years. It is a position that I truly loved, and it has been my honor to serve. There is no greater reward than having seen our young children growing up in our great schools from kindergarten, into teenagers and young adults as they graduated High School.

“It has also been great to work with our seniors and to listen and learn from all the knowledge they have to share. I have taken great pride in being able to put their ideas to work. East Haven will always have a special place in my heart.

“As a republican in a town where there are twice as many registered democrats as there are republicans, at times it proved difficult to keep winning elections, but we were able to do so anyway. I believe we were able to do so because my administration always put the interests of the residents first. To put it very simply, as an elected official you have to listen to your constituents and govern by their wishes. I am also very proud that during my tenure we were able to maintain excellent financial stability for East Haven. Every tax dollar we were able to save helped our residents with their discretionary spending in their everyday life. I am hopeful that my successor will keep East Haven on the sound fiscal footing that we have planted. I will be supporting the entire republican ticket in the upcoming election with the sincere hope that the new administration will continue to build upon our success.