Hartford Business Journal

12 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | AUGUST 7, 2023 Decision 2023 | Hartford Mayoral Race PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Coleman sees lower energy costs, workforce development, arts and entertainment as keys to Hartford's future By Greg Bordonaro gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com A s a state lawmaker for more than three decades, Eric Coleman said he was never viewed as a corporate darling. But he's never tried to be antag- onistic to the business community, either. In fact, a strong corporate base that invests in downtown Hart- ford and its neighborhoods is key to the city's future revival, he said. Coleman, 72, is running as a Democratic candidate for mayor of the city of Hartford, looking to fill the seat being vacated by Mayor Luke Bronin, who decided not to seek a third, four-year term. The mayoral field, at one point, had more than a half-dozen Democratic candidates, but Coleman, state Sen. John Fonfara and Hartford Land Bank CEO Arunan Arulampalam are considered front-runners. While Election Day isn't until Nov. 7, the key date for the mayoral race is Sept. 12. That's when the primary takes place and Democrats, which control the city's political landscape, will choose their party's candidate, who is likely to become the next mayor. Coleman has a long record of public service, having served in the state House of Representatives from 1983 to 1994, and then the Senate from 1995 to 2017. He was nominated and confirmed as a Connecticut Superior Court Judge in 2018, and served on the bench for several years before retiring in 2021. If elected mayor, Coleman said his goal would be to create a stable business environment for the private sector, particularly around energy costs and the workforce. One of his big policy ideas is to establish a city-owned utility company that would — ideally — offer lower electric rates to Hartford businesses and residents than what's currently available. He points to a handful of other towns, including Wallingford, that have successfully created munic- ipal electric utilities. He said he doesn't know how much that effort would cost, but he'd try to leverage federal funding through the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as private investment, to make it happen. "One of the first things that I would undertake is to pull together subject-matter experts and other stakeholders, including residents and businesses, … to explore how best to implement this particular plan," Coleman said. He also said the city should invest more in workforce training to make ERIC COLEMAN Former State Representative & Senator Retired Superior Court Judge Education: Bachelor's degree, Columbia University; Law degree, UConn School of Law Age: 72 Hartford mayoral candidate Eric Coleman.

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