Neil O'Leary

In 1980, O'Leary joined the Waterbury Police Department. In 2004, he became Waterbury Chief of Police. In the summer of 2009, O'Leary left his position in Waterbury to become the chief of police of Wolcott, Connecticut.^[1]

In 2011, O'Leary stepped down as Wolcott Chief of Police to run for mayor of Waterbury. One of O'Leary's efforts bore fruit early on, with the opening of three new pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade primary schools, as well as the Waterbury Career Academy High School. In response to complaints about the condition of parks, O'Leary established a summer youth corps that helped perform routine maintenance in the City's parks. He also officially enrolled Waterbury in the national "Cities of Service" organization, which employs public service as a serious method to address critical local concerns. Employing a similar approach to blighted housing, O'Leary helped neighborhoods develop a comprehensive anti-blight program with reciprocal chores and responsibilities. He is collaborating with state and federal governments to reclaim abandoned industrial lands along the City's river-rail spine, the site of an alternate transportation riverfront greenway.^[3] In March 2023, O'Leary announced he was not running for reelection as Mayor.^[4][5][6]