At the ancient age of 18 in 2015, Anthony Paoletto was elected the youngest member of the City Council in history representing the Upper East Side 138th District. Ten years later he’s been honored with another first, the youngest to serve as Grand Marshal of the annual Greater Bridgeport Columbus Day Parade, one of the oldest continuing celebrations in the country, honoring the heritage and contributions of Italian Americans.

The parade is the signature event of the Council of Italian American Societies of Greater Bridgeport (CT). This year’s parade will take place October 12. Paoletto has served in the mayoral administration of Joe Ganim in several capacities including in the Health Department where he helped coordinate the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizing roughly 350 vaccine clinics.