Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and Sara Bronin makeup one of the region’s foremost power couples.
Mayor Bronin was elected in 2015 and his first term was defined by two major issues: Convincing the legislature to pass a massive $550-million-plus long-term bailout to help the city avert potential bankruptcy, and firing and then hiring a new developer to complete Dunkin’ Donuts Park. He won re-election last November, solidifying his power as he continues to get strong support from the business community.
He’s been credited with stabilizing the city’s tenuous finances through budget cuts, renegotiated union contracts, and greater state funding. He also convinced the city’s three largest insurers and taxpayers — Aetna, Travelers Cos. and The Hartford — to donate $50 million over five years to help fund core city services.
Mayor Bronin, a Rhodes Scholar and Yale Law School graduate who previously served as general counsel to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and held senior posts in the U.S. Treasury Department, is also a man of great political ambition. He explored a run for governor in 2018 and likely has his eye on higher public office in the future.
Sara Bronin, also a Rhodes Scholar and Yale Law School alum, chairs the Hartford Planning and Zoning Commission, where she’s been credited with reforming the city’s zoning codes to make it easier for private development.
She is also a licensed architect and law professor at UConn, where she focuses on property, land use, historic preservation, green building and renewable energy law.