Hartford mayor won’t run for reelection
HARTFORD — Mayor Luke Bronin announced Tuesday he will not seek a third term in office.
Bronin made the announcement in a social media video and held a news conference about his decision.
“I hope that over the last seven years we have restored some confidence in the city of Hartford and its city government,” Bronin said. “I am deeply grateful to the team that has been doing this work for the last seven years, and to everybody who does this work every day. We've got a team in Hartford that I'd stack up against any team anywhere.”
Over the past two terms, Bronin, 43, said his team helped take the city from near-bankruptcy to stable growth despite the pandemic. He said in a social media video that he has focused on projects the community long needed and wanted, including rebuilding schools, investing in parks and libraries and “attracting historic amounts of private investment.”
Bronin, who was emotional talking about his family's support throughout his mayoral career, said he does not know what he will do next but has “a year to figure it out.”
“It was a decision I wrestled with for a long
time,” he said. “For the first two terms, I counted four-year terms a blessing, to be able to just focus on the work and not worry about a campaign. If I could sign up for another two years right now, I'd
probably do it. But having done seven, I'm not sure that I'm prepared to sign up for five more. If you do this job right, and I've tried to do it right, you give yourself to it completely. It's all consuming, it's 24/7.
That's one of the things I love about it. But it also means that every year you do it, it's like three or four.”
In a statement Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont said Bronin has been a strong advocate for the city while providing significant input to his administration.
“Luke Bronin has been one of Hartford's most vocal advocates and a dedicated supporter of the revitalization of the city and its growth,” Lamont said. “He has been an important collaborator with our administration, including on issues concerning housing, public health, increased access to quality education, and public safety. Hartford has benefited from his public service as mayor and I wish him and his family the best in their next endeavors.”
Bronin was first elected to the office in 2015, beating incumbent Pedro Segarra. In 2019, he ran for reelection and defeated former Mayor Eddie Perez.
Before holding elected office, Bronin served as general counsel for former Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and worked in the Obama Administration.
The field seeking to replace Bronin as Hartford's mayor is starting to take shape. Former Democratic state Sen. Eric Coleman, a Superior Court judge, will make a “special announcement” on Wednesday morning. Coleman has publicly mulled a run for mayor in recent months.
Bronin declined to endorse anyone on Tuesday.
“Hartford's a political town, and it's an open seat,” he said. “I suspect there's going to be a whole lot of people running for it, and that's how it should be.”