On Oct. 29, Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr., issued an open letter to East Haven residents. Maturo, a nine-term mayor, is not seeking re-election in the Nov. 5 elections. His letter follows:

“Dear fellow residents:

“Just six months ago, I delivered my 18th and final State of the Town address as mayor of East Haven. That evening, I proudly stood on the stage at our beautiful high school and boasted about how, despite the state’s ongoing fiscal woes, we have fortified our pocketbooks and elevated our community to become a model of fiscal excellence for others across the state and a “community of choice” for new families and upstart businesses.

“Leading our community has been one of most rewarding and humbling experiences of my life. This position is certainly not one that I expected to hold for over 6,570 days. However, looking back on it all, I can say without hesitation that I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of those days—even the difficult ones.

“I have had to make difficult, sometimes unpopular decisions during my time as mayor. I do not expect that residents will have agreed with every decision I have made during my 18 years as mayor. However, I sincerely hope that this community understands that I approached each decision and each day with thoughtfulness, seriousness, and with an eye on keeping East Haven a safe, affordable place to live, work, and raise a family.

“I have enjoyed tremendous success as our community’s CEO and I owe a great debt of gratitude to my coworkers and colleagues who worked tirelessly alongside me these 18 years and who helped me chart a path of pride and prosperity for our community. We have accomplished so much and yet, even after 18 years, there is still much work to be done.

“I am incredibly thankful to the residents of this great community, not only for the privilege to have served for 18 years as mayor, but for the lifetime of love, good will, and friendship I’ve enjoyed throughout my life here.

“Although I will be rooting for our community from the sidelines now, I will never stop rooting for East Haven. As I leave my position and reflect on our tremendous success and progress since 1997, I leave with the firm belief that our community’s best days still lie ahead.

“God bless this great community.

“Very truly yours,

“Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr.”