Bill Finch steps down as Discovery Museum chief

Bridgeport”™s Discovery Museum has announced Bill Finch will be stepping down as executive director on June 30. He will be replaced on an interim basis by Terry O”™Connor, the former executive director of The Cardinal Shehan Center, a Bridgeport nonprofit.

Finch joined the museum”™s leadership team in January 2018 after a career in government. He served as Bridgeport”™s mayor from 2007 to 2015, losing the 2015 Democratic nomination to former Mayor Joe Ganim and later failing to get on the ballot as a candidate of the Job Creation Party.

After leaving office, Finch crossed the border to serve as acting executive director of the New York State Thruway Authority and Canal Corp.

In a March 2018 interview with the Business Journal, Finch embraced his new position by declaring, “I was the mayor of a city, now I”™m mayor of a concept.” He also stated he had no interest in seeking a return to Bridgeport City Hall.

“No, I am really happy here,” he said. “I think that I can have just as much impact here as anywhere.”

In a statement issued by the museum, Finch said his next career moves would “be announced at a later date.”