Mayor DeStefano will not seek another term

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. announced that he will retire from the city at the end of year.

"I am happy and very, very comfortable with this decision. We have accomplished so much in the past 20 years. I feel comfortable leaving now because New Haven is in a good place, with a strong civic fiber," said Mayor DeStefano.

Mayor DeStefano made his announcement on Tuesday evening in New Haven.

According to a press release:

DeStefano won his first Mayoral election on November 1, 1993, becoming New Haven's 49th Mayor at his inauguration on January 1, 1994. Since then, he has served 10 consecutive terms and is the longest serving Mayor in New Haven's history.

Under Mayor DeStefano's leadership, New Haven has improved in ways too innumerable to accurately describe in a press release, but include developing a bio-medical economic sector; instituting successful mixed use development projects; building 37 new schools; implementing a School Change initiative that has been nationally acclaimed; adding over 3,000 units of downtown housing (New Haven's downtown is one of the largest residential downtowns in the Northeast region); instituting the Elm City ID card, passing and much, much more.