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To the Editor:
I want to congratulate all those who were elected to public office yesterday in Hartford. It was a hard-fought election, and hopefully the input from the residents of Hartford during the campaign will help guide your policy decisions over the next four years.
Though no candidate for Hartford City office has beaten an endorsed Democrat in the general election since 1993, our campaign thought the issues were so important in this race, there was an opportunity to overcome that high hurdle. Though I received more votes than any other challenger in a Treasurer’s election since at least 2001, it wasn’t enough.
I want to thank my family for being supportive. I want to thank my campaign staff and volunteers who helped get our message out in every city neighborhood. I want to thank the hundreds of voters who helped get me on the ballot, took the time to speak with me at their doors and supported me on election day. Hartford is filled with people who care about their neighborhoods and their city.
Now that the election is over, I would urge the new mayor and council to move quickly to have the Treasurer’s Office publicly disclose the unfunded liability of the Hartford pension fund as of 7/1/23. The debt owed to the city pension fund is now larger than the municipal bond debt that resulted in drastic cuts to city services, near bankruptcy and a bailout of the city by the legislature. The sooner the new city administration begins to develop a credible plan to address this issue, the brighter the future for our neighborhoods.
Matthew Hennessy