MONROE, Conn. — The Greater Bridgeport and Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (GBVMPO) and the Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments (MetroCOG) bring municipal leaders from Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull together to identify and administer projects, programs, and funding opportunities benefiting individual communities and the region as a whole.
Monroe First Selectman Terry Rooney was recently elected to leadership positions on both boards. He will serve two-year-terms as chairman of the GBVMPO and as vice chairman of MetroCOG. The last Monroe first selectman to be chairman of MetroCOG was Ken Kellogg.
“I think the last chairman from Monroe was Ken Heitzke,” Rooney said of the GBVMPO. “I was supported by members from both sides of the aisle to make the best decisions for the Greater Bridgeport area, which of course Monroe is part of. I am humbled to be considered and elected to these positions and to operate in a regional capacity.”
“It gives us a voice from the leadership table to do infrastructure projects that are needed in Monroe, from which I already proposed work to be done on the Route 34 and Route 111 intersection, as well as the intersection of 111 and Wheeler Road,” Rooney added.
Matthew Fulda, executive director of MetroCOG, said the agency serves as the host for the GBVMPO, which is the federally designated transportation planning agency for the Greater Bridgeport Region.
“As one of two primary MPOs for the Bridgeport-Stamford Urbanized Area, the GBVMPO performs and coordinates the transportation planning activities in accordance with all applicable federal regulations and guidance,” he said. “GBVMPO conducts the transportation planning process through cooperative relationships between regional transit operators, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, and federal transportation agencies — the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.”
During the planning process, MPO’s play a crucial role in coordinating transportation projects and programming federal transportation funds across federal, state and local agencies, according to Fulda.
MetroCOG’s role is “to encourage and promote the safe and efficient management, operation, and development of surface transportation systems that will serve the mobility needs of people and freight, foster economic growth and development within and between States and urbanized areas, and take into consideration resiliency needs while minimizing transportation-related fuel consumption and air pollution…” — 23 U.S.C. § 134 (a)(1).
Working together
Rooney will lead the MetroCOG board with Trumbull First Selectman Vicki Tesoro, who has served as chair since 2024.
“As first selectman of Trumbull, I have seen firsthand the kind of positive energy and collaborative spirit that First Selectman Rooney brings to both roles,” Tesoro said Tuesday. “His government experience and his dedication to bipartisanship makes him a great choice to fulfill these roles for our region and I’m honored to serve with him.”
On the GBVMPO, Rooney will chair the board with the help of Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti, who serves as vice chair.
“We think a lot alike, we talk about a lot of issues we agree on — and it’s helpful,” Lauretti said of Rooney during a phone interview Tuesday. “Most mayors and first selectmen get along together, because we have the same problems. I asked Terry to take the lead on it. That will elevate his position, which always helps. This is a good opportunity for him. It puts Monroe in the spotlight and that never hurts.”
Of the work ahead of them, Lauretti said, “it’s all about the infrastructure: roads, highways and bridges.”
Fulda expressed optimism for the year ahead.
“I am honored to have First Selectman Rooney serve as chairman of the GBVMPO and vice-chairman of MetroCOG,” he said. “First Selectman Rooney’s experience, dedication, and leadership are tremendous assets for our region. I look forward to working with the first selectman to ensure the region’s success as a great place to live, work and do business.”
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