Former Hartford Treasurer Carmen Sierra, who resigned her elected office earlier this week, was escorted off city property by police on Wednesday after she returned to the treasurer’s office unannounced.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam confirmed that Sierra, who served as city treasurer for nearly four years, accessed her former office without approval from city officials.
Sierra abruptly retired from her position overseeing Hartford’s $1 billion pension fund at the beginning of this week, citing the need to take care of her ailing father.
Prior to her retirement announcement, however, Sierra became the target of several former members of the city’s pension commission, who raised concerns about the way she was managing her staff and the pension fund that Hartford city employees and retirees rely on.
Sierra returned a phone call from the Connecticut Mirror on Wednesday and said she would be issuing a written statement.
The mayor’s office said they did not have an immediate explanation for why Sierra returned to the treasurer’s office.
“Earlier this morning, our office received reports of former City Treasurer Carmen Sierra accessing the treasurer’s office without explanation two days following her resignation,” Arulampalam said in a statement. “In response, the Hartford Police Department assisted to ensure city property remained secure.”
“While not all facts are clear yet, it is unacceptable for any former elected official to access secure city facilities after vacating their position,” Arulampalam added.
A phone call to the Hartford treasurer’s office went unanswered on Wednesday afternoon. The Connecticut Mirror was unable to confirm whether the Hartford officers who responded to the treasurer’s office detailed the incident in a police report.
