Mayor Luke Bronin is backing Hartford Land Bank CEO Arunan Arulampalam to take over his job.
Bronin, who is not running for a third, four-year term, has endorsed Arulampalam, a fellow Democrat, to be the city’s next mayor.
It’s the latest tailwind for Arulampalam, a political newcomer who also received backing from the Hartford Democratic Town Committee earlier this week.
“I’ve known and worked with Arunan for many years, and I know that he loves this city, he understands both the challenges we face and the opportunities we have in front of us,” Bronin said in a statement. “His win at the convention Monday night demonstrated his ability to build a broad coalition from across the city, and I think that really matters — not just for campaigning, but for governing. I’m proud to support Arunan and the entire endorsed Democratic slate, and I believe that this team will continue the work we’ve done over the last eight years to build a stronger, healthier, fairer, more vibrant city.”
Arulampalam, 37, is currently CEO of the Hartford Land Bank and previously served as deputy commissioner for the state Department of Consumer Protection under Gov. Ned Lamont. He was also an attorney at Hartford-based law firm of Updike, Kelly & Spellacy P.C.
On Monday, Arulampalam won 49 of the 77 votes cast by members of the Hartford Democratic Town Committee, with support from across the city. Sen. John Fonfara finished second with 21 votes and Eric Coleman, a retired Superior Court judge and former state senator and representative, was third with 10 votes.
Fonfara, Coleman and a third challenger who was not nominated, Councilman Nick Lebron, all immediately vowed to petition to force a primary in September, which is tantamount to election in the heavily Democratic city.
A CT Mirror report was used in this story.
