joseph peter ganim (born october 21, 1959) is an american politician and the mayor of bridgeport, connecticut, and was a candidate for governor of the state of connecticut. he was elected mayor of the city six times serving from 1991 to 2003, when he resigned after being convicted on federal felony corruption charges. ganim was released after serving six years in a federal correctional institution at fort dix. in 2015, ganim mounted a successful political comeback after being elected bridgeport mayor again. ganim was sworn in as mayor on december 1, 2015. ganim has twice unsuccessfully sought the democratic nomination for governor of connecticut, running in 1994 and 2018.