Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam has appointed two experienced administrators to lead the city’s economic development and housing departments.
Jack Benjamin, formerly the director of planning and development for the City of New Britain, began his new role as Hartford’s economic development director Tuesday morning. Jonathan Cabral, who led housing policy efforts at the New Haven-based nonprofit The Connecticut Project, also started Tuesday as Hartford’s new director of housing.
Both start with annual salaries of $127,912.
Benjamin spent the past four years directing development in New Britain, where the city partnered with developers to add hundreds of downtown apartments through new construction and building conversions.
Hartford over the past decade has pursued a similar downtown revitalization strategy, adding thousands of housing units in and around its central business district. Much of this effort has been supported by the Capital Region Development Authority, a quasi-governmental agency that provides low-interest gap financing to developers using state funds, as well as access to local property tax relief.
Benjamin replaces Patrick Pentalow, who resigned Aug. 1, after 18 months in the role. The position was not publicly posted. Arulampalam said Benjamin was recommended by trusted friends.
“A number of folks have very high regard for him and good things to say about him from an economic development perspective,” Arulampalam said. “We were looking for some people with a track record of success in economic development and it’s something we hope to expand, obviously, in a larger scale in Hartford.”
Arulampalam added that “a few” candidates were considered for the post, but Benjamin rose to the top due to his track record and knowledge of Greater Hartford’s development landscape.
Benjamin joins the city at a critical time, with multiple economic initiatives underway. Among them are large-scale multifamily developments on the northern and southern fringes of downtown, redevelopment of the struggling Constitution Plaza office park, and efforts to reinvigorate Hartford’s commercial office sector, which has seen rising vacancies since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There are a lot of opportunities, potentially a lot of large projects are on the table,” Arulampalam said. “So, we need someone who can keep a lot of balls in the air at one time.”
Prior to his work in New Britain, Benjamin spent nearly three years as director of grants at American International College in Springfield, Mass., and two years as assistant planning director in Chicopee, Mass. He holds a bachelor’s degree in urban studies, public administration and planning from Worcester State University.
Cabral joined The Connecticut Project in January 2023, where he led strategic housing and community development projects.
Before that, he spent 11 years with the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, rising to become manager of research, marketing and outreach. In that role he connected the state’s quasi-public affordable housing funder with municipalities, state agencies and nonprofits.
Arulampalam, who previously led Hartford’s land bank, said he repeatedly sought Cabral’s advice.
“Jonathan has an incredible reputation in the housing world,” Arulampalam said. “He is well respected across the state for his knowledge and creativity when it comes to housing.”
Hartford, like much of Connecticut, faces a housing shortage. Arulampalam expects Cabral to lead initiatives expanding both rental housing and homeownership opportunities, as well as reducing homelessness.
The housing director position was publicly posted in June and attracted 22 applicants before the posting closed in mid-August.
Cabral holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies and a master’s degree in public policy from Trinity College. A Hartford resident.
