Michael Pavia is an American businessman who served as the 30th mayor of

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

Early life, education, and business career

Pavia earned his BA degree in psychology from

Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private, Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholic uni ...

and his master's degree in

Urban planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, t ...

. At NYU, he had a fellowship from the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

. He is a lifelong Stamford resident whose grandchildren represent the fifth generation of his family in the city. He is the founder, Owner, and Director of Pavia Development LLC, a Stamford-based residential,

commercial real estate Commercial property, also called commercial real estate, investment property or income property, is real estate (buildings or land) intended to generate a profit, either from capital gains or rental income. Commercial property includes office bui ...

managing, and construction business.

Stamford government career

Environmental protection (Before 1983)

He has been an

Environmental Health Environmental health is the branch of public health concerned with all aspects of the natural and built environment affecting human health. In order to effectively control factors that may affect health, the requirements that must be met in ...

Sanitarian with the Stamford Health Department. He created the City's first water pollution control and enforcement program. In 1976, he was hired as the first Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Board.

Police Commissioner (1983-1991)

Pavia served as a member of Stamford's Police Commission for eight years. He chaired the selection panel that hired approximately 100 new

police officers A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

. He participated in a national search that hired a new police chief and reorganize the department.

Public Works Commissioner (1991-1995)

He served as Stamford's Public Works Commissioner. Incorporating his expertise in development, urban planning and the environment, he implemented many successful programs within the Department that resulted in significant cost savings and increased efficiencies. His creation of a "Capital Projects" team of experts responsible for the oversight and implementation of all capital construction resulted in major projects being delivered on time and under budget.

Board of Representatives (2003-2006)

An active community organizer and supporter, Mike was also on the board of Directors of the Stamford Historical Society and the Springdale Neighborhood Association. He served on the Stamford Board of Representatives, representing Stamford's 18th District.

Mayor of Stamford (2009-2013)

In 2009, Pavia ran for

mayor of Stamford, Connecticut The mayor of Stamford, Connecticut, United States, is the city's chief executive. History of the mayoralty Before 1945, the city charter of the City of Stamford divided the city into two separate political jurisdictions: a central city with a " ...

, seeking to succeed Dan Malloy, who decided to run for

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connecticu ...

. He ran as a Republican and defeated

David Martin David or Dave Martin may refer to: Entertainment *David Martin (artist) (1737–1797), Scottish painter and engraver *David Stone Martin (1913–1992), American artist *David Martin (poet) (1915–1997), Hungarian-Australian poet and novelist *Dav ...

55%-44%. The turnout rate was 42%. In 2010, Pavia named former

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

manager

Bobby Valentine Robert John Valentine (born May 13, 1950), nicknamed "Bobby V", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He also served as the athletic director at Sacred Heart University. Valentine played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (19 ...

, a lifelong Stamford resident, the 2010 City of Stamford "Citizen of the Year." The next year, he appointed Valentine to become the Director of Public Health and Safety. Pavia helped commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with a new monument and a message of remembrance. In 2011, Pavia proposed a $470.6 million budget with a 2.93% tax increase. In 2012, he proposed a $483.3 million budget with a 3.66% property tax increase. Education made up 49% of the budget, while 42% made up other city expenses. As of July 2012, Pavia earned an annual mayoral salary of $150,000.

Personal life

References

External links

Pavia's City of Stamford page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pavia, Michael Living people Connecticut Republicans Mayors of Stamford, Connecticut Sacred Heart University alumni Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service alumni Year of birth missing (living people)