Marzitelli, Frank D., 1914 -.

Frank D. Marzitelli was born on February 25th, 1914 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The son of Italian immigrants, Marzitelli grew up in St. Paul's predominantly immigrant Levee neighborhood, located on the river flats under the High Bridge that was later cleared of houses after floods in 1951 and 1952. He attended public schools, graduating in 1931 from Mechanic Arts High School. After finishing high school, Marzitelli first worked at Purity Baking Company, where he joined and became very active in the Bakers and Confectionery Workers Union Local #21. He served as a union official for fifteen years. In 1950, with the help of the unions, Marzitelli was elected to the St. Paul City Council where he served until 1957. Major accomplishments included the abolition of the Department of Education and creation of the Independent School Board, the expansion of the branch library system, and the founding of the Saint Paul Arts and Science Council. Marzitelli never earned a college degree, but took extension classes in business, economics, and government at the University of Minnesota over a period of fourteen years.

Although his six years on the city council were his only service in an elected office, Marzitelli continued to serve in state and municipal government in a diverse series of appointments including Deputy Commissioner of Highways (1957-1961) and Executive Vice President of the Port Authority of St. Paul (1961-1972). In 1972 Mayor Larry Cohen appointed Marzitelli as St. Paul's first city administrator. Governor Wendell Anderson appointed him Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Highways in 1975, and he went on to serve with another state agency from 1976 to 1978 as Deputy Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Welfare.

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