West Hartford Mayor R. Scott Slifka, citing increased career responsibilities at Lego, is stepping down from his volunteer role once the 2016-17 town budget is completed. He has been West Hartford’s longest-serving mayor and its youngest when first elected.
Slifka made his announcement this afternoon during his annual State of the Town talk before the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce. According to a town spokesperson, he told the business group his decision is prompted by his recent promotion at Lego to be one of four chief counsels to oversee legal departments located in London, USA, and Asia.
When he was selected as an HBJ Forty under 40 winner in 2013, he said his biggest professional challenge was the daily balance between his professional obligations and his mayoral duties, particularly the challenge of addressing problems that don’t respect schedules and deadlines. “Since becoming a parent, I’ve noticed more acutely the difficulty of being mayor with never a true day off and family time conflict,” he said.
In 2004, Slifka became mayor after Jonathan Harris was elected to the state senate. Harris is now the state’s Consumer Protection commissioner. Slifka’s one shot at statewide office came in 2006 when he ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, losing in a primary. Slifka served as chief-of-staff for Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz.
Slifka is married with one child.
