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01/24/2018 07:30 AMWhen Frank Gentilesco, Jr. announced his retirement from the role of assistant director of administration and management in the Mayor’s Office in November, it left a lot of people wondering who would fill the major role Gentilesco seemed to play in just about every public aspect of town government. The answer came quickly: Joseph “Joe” Coppola, an attorney with experience working for the City of Derby, now brings his repertoire to East Haven Town hall.
“Being an attorney, you do a lot of work with the public,” Joe says, “When you become a municipal attorney, it’s public, it’s legislative...You could see what you do in office, how it affects your community, and that’s what I enjoyed in Derby.”
Joe earned his license to practice law in 1991, working at his own firm in Branford for a few years and then joining other firms doing municipal work, including zoning and taxation. From there, he increased his job duties to include things like claims, budgeting, and bonding.
In 2005, then-mayor Anthony Staffieri of Derby appointed him as corporation counsel (the town attorney) for the city in which Joe grew up. He served there for eight years, doing a lot of the municipal work he had done previously, and also worked on labor issues.
“I really, really enjoyed it,” Joe says.
When he was working with Staffieri in Derby, Joe helped move development projects along. He says “you could see red tape” in the town, but Staffieri was able to work through that to bring in businesses like Lowe’s and Starbucks to the community of about 12,000.
Joe recalls when Griffin Hospital was seeking to put in a cancer center on a lot with an unused municipal road separating the property. Staffieri was able to resolve the road issue for the project to move forward, with Joe coordinating the legal aspects.
“That’s when you see a vacant couple pieces of property turn into this building with hundreds of cars and employees and people coming in and out,” Joe says.
After he left that role, he did insurance defense work for a few years before he was asked by Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr. to become assistant director of administration and management in East Haven.
“I loved it, so I jumped right in,” Joe says.
Since he’s worked on things like budgeting, bonding, and labor, Joe says he’s able to offer the mayor and the community knowledge and experiences from all the areas he’s worked in the past.
Having started in East Haven in late November 2017, Joe says he’s still learning and respecting the way Gentilesco did things in the role. However, Joe will lend his expertise if the situation calls for it, giving an example of a resident who recently came in with a question about taxes. Having experience with the issue, Joe sat down with the resident and walked her through her concerns.
He says if situations arise in town, like a street light being out or an issue with trash pickup, the first call usually goes to the Mayor’s Office, even though the problem may not be the responsibility of that office. Once again, Joe has experience in that area and is willing to help.
“I know how to calm down the resident and offer the direction for the next time, and I’ll do it this time. I’ll call the trash company to make sure they pick it up,” Joe says.
Like his predecessor, he’ll also be involved with the annual East Haven Fall Festival and the Vietnam Veteran’s fireworks and beach party. Joe’s background, including working with the fireworks display in Derby, will help him in the processes for the events.
“When we do the Fall Festival, I’ll understand the contractual obligations for each of the vendors, etc.,” Joe says, and when it comes to the fireworks, he plans to make sure the event “goes off without a hitch.”