Joe Riccio
203-384-9777
Immediate
Denis O’Malley of Bridgeport was recently named Chairman of the Bridgeport Port Authority Board of Directors.
O’Malley has been a BPA board member for about one year and takes over as chairman immediately. O'Malley replaces Joseph Savino, Bridgeport Harbor Master, who is stepping down as chairman because of personal commitments, but remains a member of the board of directors.
“It’s a big challenge [becoming chairman],” O’Malley said, “but I look forward to it. I’ll have Joe Savino to talk me through everything until I get to know the ropes. Joe did a great job since the inception of the BPA and played an important role in its development.”
The father of four boys, O’Malley noted that the BPA had several projects in the works that will require strong leadership and creativity from the board of directors. In particular, he pointed out the development of the Barge Feeder Service, which is scheduled to be in operation this summer. O’Malley also said the dredging of the Bridgeport harbor and feasibility study of a high-speed ferry service were important ongoing developments for the BPA.
O'Malley, who has worked in magazine publishing for the last 23 years, previously served as the chairman for the Redevelopment Agency and the Housing Site Development Agency. He is also a past member of the Democratic Town Committee. The father of four boys, O’Malley is married to Maura (Brannelly) O’Malley.
Joseph A. Riccio, BPA executive director, thought O’Malley’s past experience on boards for other area development agencies would prove to be valuable experience.
“Denis is a terrific person who brings a lot of economic development background to the job,” Riccio said. “We look forward to working with him.”
The BPA is a quasi-public entity that has jurisdiction over the entire Bridgeport Harbor port. It also operates the ferry terminal facility, Water Street Dock and has jurisdiction over several marine cargo terminals.
