Michael Jarjura
| Michael Jarjura | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 May 1961 |
Michael Jarjura is the former Mayor of Waterbury, Connecticut.
He was first elected in 2001 and reelected in 2003. In 2005, he was elected to a third term as a write-in candidate after losing the Democratic primary. He was re-elected in 2007 and 2009 as the Democratic party nominee. In 2011, after failing to seek the Democratic nomination, he ran for reelection on the Republican Party ticket. In the general election, he was defeated by former police chief Neil O'Leary, who was the Democratic nominee. Perennial Waterbury mayoral candidate Larry DePillo also ran in the general election, as an independent.
Prior to his election as Mayor, Jarjura served in the Connecticut House of Representatives representing the 74th District in the city's east end. He was employed by the Connecticut Attorney General's office prior to entering elective politics.
Jarjura, long considered a conservative Democrat, shed that party label and joined the Republican party in 2011. In 2006 he endorsed the independent senate campaign of Joe Lieberman. In 2008 he announced he would hire former Governor John G. Rowland, who had served prison time on a corruption charge, as an economic development advisor. In September 2009 Jarjura spoke at a Tea Party movement rally in Waterbury, saying, "We needed a spark, and you're the spark that is going to be the change. So don't give up. Don't get discouraged because this country is worth fighting for and you're fighting for it."
Jarjura is a cultural conservative who opposes abortion rights. He is a member of the Legislative Advisory Council of the Family Institute of Connecticut, an organization known for its vocal opposition to same-sex marriage.
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