Rep. Ed Osienski

In response to the news of former Wilmington Mayor Michael S. Purzycki’s passing, Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown, House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris, and House Majority Whip Ed Osienski issued the following statement:

“The City of Wilmington would not be what it is now without Mike Purzycki’s decades of dedication to making it safer, fairer, and more accessible.

There are many Delawareans who have no idea how much the Wilmington Riverfront has changed over the years, because it’s hard to imagine that the popular area full of entertainment, restaurants, and beautiful views was an industrial wasteland not so long ago. Mike Purzycki helped make that happen in his role in the Riverfront Development Corporation. And when he became Mayor of Wilmington, he continued to transform the city so that Wilmingtonians could thrive in a place where they were proud to live.

In his first year in office, he helped to launch Wilmington’s annual HBCU Week and College Fair, giving thousands of young people the opportunity to learn more about their options, and compete for on-the-spot college acceptances and scholarship awards. His legacy in that work is honored through the $10,000 Michael S. Purzycki Changemaker Scholarship offered by the HBCU Week Foundation.
To be a leader is to make sacrifices, and that’s often all that people see. But Mike’s work on the East Side of Wilmington to increase affordable housing options alongside the Woodlawn Trustees, Habitat for Humanity, the WRK Group, and other community partners earned him the admiration of many who were able to restart thanks to his impact.

Mike loved to build. We see that not just through the many landmarks that we can now look to and remember him, but the community, as well. His work brought people together, and in a city where community has always been the key to success, that was very important.
Former New Castle County Councilman and Mayor of Wilmington Michael S. Purzycki left an indelible mark on the entire state, and we will never forget that. Our thoughts are with his wife, Bette, and his entire family during this time.”