Mayor's Office

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Ellen Zoppo-Sassu became interested in local government while in elementary school, when she attended city meetings with her father who served on the Board of Finance. After graduating from Providence College in 1990 with a Political Science degree, she then earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in local and urban government from the University of Connecticut in 1992. In 2017 she became the first woman elected Mayor of the City of Bristol.  She was re-elected in 2019 and then returned to office 4 years later, in 2025.

Prior to becoming Mayor, Zoppo-Sassu served eight years on the City Council. During that period, she helped organize and served as Chairperson of the Code Enforcement Committee, which coordinated a city policy response to the sub-standard housing issues and blight within the city, including a rewrite of the City’s Housing and Property Maintenance ordinances. Within these years the Bristol Public Library renovation was completed on time and under budget; the TEAM (Tourism, Arts, Entertainment and Museum) Committee was created and three city parks renovated. 

While on the City Council, and continuing into her mayoral administration, she chaired the Task Force to develop a building and construction plan for the re-use of the historic Memorial Boulevard School. The Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School and the Rockwell Theater opened in the Fall of 2022 and served as a springboard for additional downtown revitalization efforts including the development of Bristol Health’s downtown location; housing by Carrier on Main and North Main Streets, and the construction of Wheeler Health ‘s new corporate headquarters. In addition, a long-awaited realignment of the Rte. 72 and Rte. 69 intersections in the West End was initiated, as well as the planning stages of a new and enhanced gateway entrance for Riverside Avenue including the new Veterans Bridge and a $2 million Brownfield grant for the Sessions factory. And the newly renovated City Hall opened in October of 2023 to complement the surrounding new development. 

In her first two terms as Mayor, Zoppo-Sassu also encouraged efficiencies and collaboration among city departments. Under her tenure the Park and Recreation Department merged with the Youth and Community Service Department, and the Water Pollution Control division was moved from Public Works to the Water Department.  New initiatives were created including the Task Force on Opioid Prevention, the Arts and Culture Commission, a Diversity Council, and the Senior Tax Relief Committee, which introduced the Senior Volunteer Tax Credit.

In 2020, the Covid -19 pandemic took center stage followed closely by racial unrest following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The Mayor’s Office coordinated the city’s response to addressing food insecurity; as well as testing and vaccination sites, while ensuring that city services continued. The following year the City of Bristol received $24 million dollars from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act. A bipartisan task force was created to administer these funds for city projects, non-profit organizations and businesses. The Parks Master Plan was created, and several Public Works initiatives were launched. 

Work was done to leverage the resources of the Health District, the Police Department and health care agencies to create pathways for recovery for citizens who were suffering from substance misuse. The City of Bristol Recovery Alliance (C.O.B.R.A.) was founded as a diversionary program for the police to utilize when encountering citizens who were struggling with these issues. The city received the prestigious Silver Telly Award for its work creating a series of Public Service Announcements addressing the city’s opioid public health crisis. 

Other policies and initiatives included implementation procedures to increase police and fire recruitment, robust educational funding, Community Conversations on diversity, equity and inclusion, the services of the Farmers Market, the Shrub Road open space acquisition, hiring over a half-dozen new department heads, enhancement of city cemeteries and historic preservation efforts. Her administration has left a long-lasting legacy for the City of Bristol. 

In 2025, the policy focus is on affordability and combating the effects of inflation and the impact of increasing prices on taxpayers with attention to budget and efficiencies. The City will also be concentrating on streamlining projects, improving efficiencies and ensuring that the city services continue to be of highest quality.