About Mayor Kalisz go
to the Mayor's Announcement speech >
 Inaugurated on January 5, 1998 Mayor Kalisz pledged to move the 150 year old city, the fourth largest in Massachusetts, into the 21st Century. His wealth of political experiences include four terms as a member of the New Bedford City Council, City Council President for two terms, Chairman of the Public Safety and Internal Affairs Committees and Vice-Chairman of the Ordinance Committee. In November 1999 Mayor Kalisz was re-elected for a second term with an 87% plurality.
He has been awarded the Meritorious Public Service Award by the United States Coast Guard and the U.S. Department of Transportation for his program of relighting New Bedford's historic light houses and the creation of the United States Lightship Memorial. He has been named the 1999 South Coast Man of the Year; the Outstanding Achievement Award for Public/Private Partnerships by the United States Conference of Mayor's; the 1999 George C. Perkins President's Award from the Waterfront Area Historic League; the Presidential Order of Merit by Newbury College and the 2000 Personal Achievement Award by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Alumni Association as well as numerous community and civic awards.
Mayor Kalisz has been a guest speaker for the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Urban Water Council, the American Institute of Architects, Massachusetts Mayors' Association and New England Cultural Council. His dedication to the redevelopment of Brownfields has been the basis for selection to speak to the U.S. EPA Brownfields 2000 National Conference, the U.S. EPA Brownfields Showcase Community Summit and the National Conference of the U.S. Economic Development Administration. In October 2000 the City of New Bedford was named one of the twelve Brownfields Showcase Communities in the United States.
At the 1999 ribbon cutting of the New Bedford Freight Ferry Terminal, Mayor Kalisz was introduced as "The person whose name has become synonymous with economic development in Southeastern Massachusetts." His Economic Development Plan has created thousands of new jobs, strengthened existing commerce and brought about nearly $200 million dollars in public and private investment to the City.
Mayor Kalisz holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration/Management
from Southeastern Massachusetts University as well as graduate
credits in secondary education and the paralegal field.
Under his direction Junior Achievement of Greater Fall River's
coverage expanded from 150 students to over 1,500 and was recognized
for his efforts at local, state and national levels as well as
by the Massachusetts Department of Education. Prior to his election
in 1997 he was the Program Coordinator of the Buzzard's Bay Project
Toxics Use Reduction Program, as the liaison between business and
government regulatory and non-regulatory technical assistance agencies.
Mayor Kalisz resides in New Bedford's North End in the house he grew up in with his wife Pat and son Ricky. |
