HARTFORD, CONN. (March 28, 2018) – Mayor Luke Bronin issued the statement below in response to late afternoon letters from legislative leaders expressing concern about the State’s contract assistance agreement with the City of Hartford.  Last September, Mayor Bronin and City leadership sent a letter to State leaders explicitly warning against giving Hartford “just enough additional assistance to avoid short-term liquidity problems.”  Mayor Bronin said choosing that path “would avoid hard decisions or embarrassing outcomes for now,” but would “lead to decline, future fiscal crisis, and to continuing insolvency.”  That appears to be what Republican leaders are calling for.

“Last fall, I was fully prepared to seek authority to file bankruptcy, and legislators of both parties chose instead to build a new long-term partnership with the Capital City,” said Mayor Bronin.  “The state’s assistance came only after we made deep cuts, negotiated dramatic labor concessions, partnered with our biggest companies, and subjected the city of Hartford to intense and ongoing oversight. If Republican leaders regret the long-term partnership they embraced last fall, they should have the courage to call for our Capital City to file bankruptcy, because that’s the only responsible long-term alternative to the partnership they supported last fall.”

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