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Saturday, August 31, 2024

NEW BHC Exhibit: Jasper: The People’s Mayor

Monday, September 9 - October 1
12:00 am

“When the old parties win, Bridgeport always loses– but everybody wins with Jasper!”

It may be surprising to learn that Bridgeport’s city government was run by Socialists for nearly thirty years. During the election of 1933, frustrated with the scandals surrounding the Democratic and Republican parties, many voters decided to take their chances with a longtime sidewalk politician known as Jasper McLevy, a relentless campaigner promising implementation of progressive reform. Following McLevy’s mayoral victory, and electoral victory of his fellow Socialist Party members in other positions, the city of Bridgeport would see drastic changes, including improved infrastructure, expanded affordable housing, and honesty in government.

Who was Jasper McLevy? What did he do during his record term? And what was the Bridgeport Socialist Party that he belonged to? Our new exhibit “Jasper: The People’s Mayor” chronicles the rise and career of Bridgeport’s longest serving mayor, and the profound impact that he left upon the city.

Jaime Pettit
Jaime Pettit serves as an Assistant Archivist at the Bridgeport History Center at the Bridgeport, Connecticut Public Library. She received a Masters' in Information Science at the University of Michigan and a Certification in Museum Studies at Harvard University. She has previously worked with the University of Michigan and Arizona State University's departments of archeology. Pettit's current projects combine her love for both history and writing to highlight interesting and lesser-known stories from Bridgeport and Connecticut.