57th Mayor of Wilmington, Delaware

Michael S. Purzycki, Wilmington’s 57th Mayor, is currently serving his second, four-year term as the City’s Chief Executive. The Mayor was initially elected to office in November of 2016. He was re-elected in November of 2020 to a second term. His time as Mayor is driven by his desire to see the City run at a high level of efficiency, to increase the level of shared prosperity among its citizens, and to confront the problems too many cities experience throughout the country.

Mike Purzycki was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1945. He graduated Seton Hall Prep in 1963 and earned a football scholarship to the University of Delaware, where he played for four years and set every Blue Hen receiving record. After graduating with a degree in history, he signed a contract with the New York Giants football team for the 1967-1968 season when an injury sidelined his professional football career.

The mayor worked with IBM in Data Processing sales, as a stockbroker, and then in real estate sales and development while attending Delaware Law School at night. He was admitted to the Delaware bar and served as attorney for the Delaware State Senate and then practiced law for over a decade. He first ran for public office in 1982 and was elected to New Castle County Council where he served for nine years as Chairman of the County’s Council’s Finance Committee and wrote the legislation that created the state’s first ethics law.

In 1996, Mike Purzycki was tapped to head the Riverfront Development Corporation, and was tasked with the challenging job of resurrecting the blighted, industrial wasteland along the Christina River. He and his team did what many said would be impossible—they reinvented and reinvigorated the former World War ll shipyard into an economic, cultural, and social hub of the City which included over one billion dollars of public and private investment, including the Chase Center, The Peterson Wildlife Refuge, two miles of Riverwalk, hundreds of apartments, restaurants, hotels, and other amenities.

Mike also served for ten years as Chairman of the Wilmington Hope Commission during which he oversaw the 2014 opening of the Achievement Center, a ten thousand-square-foot building housing a groundbreaking program that helps formerly incarcerated men successfully transition from prison back into the community.

During his tenure as Mayor, the City has seen almost $1 billion of private investment injected into the local economy. Thousands of apartments, hotels, and new nightlife and dining destinations have breathed new life into the downtown and riverfront. Wilmington has invested $14 million in its neighborhood parks and public spaces. Twenty-six miles of City streets have been paved and repaired. There has been no tax increase for four years while the City’s cash position has been improved. During this same period, Moody’s removed a negative outlook from the City’s previous bond rating to improve the City’s borrowing power.

Mike married the former Bette Richitelli in 1984. They live in the Highlands with their teenage son, Gage. Their adult children—Adriane, her husband Andrew and granddaughter Pascal live in Hockessin, while Mick, his wife Ally, and granddaughter Yoyo live in Maryland.