Hartford Business Journal Special Editions

OCTOBER 2, 2017 • HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL | 61 to his vacation home. The case involved more than $100,000 in work done by state contractors seeking favors. He served 10 months in federal prison and more months on house arrest before mounting a comeback as a radio talk show host on WTIC from 2010-2014. Then he was caught up in another political scandal involving a hidden role as a political consultant to two candidates for Congress — Lisa Wilson-Foley and Mark Greenberg — who didn't want to be seen taking advice from a convicted felon. He was convicted and, after a lengthy appeal, began a 30-monthterm in federal prison last September. M. Jodi Rell Rell represented Brookfield in the state House of Representatives for a decade before running for lieutenant governor on a Republican ticket with John Rowland in 1994. When Rowland resigned amid scandal in 2004, she became the state's second female governor and won re-election in 2006. On her watch, Connecticut became the first state to adopt civil unions for gay couples. She supported more funds for education but struggled with the constitutional spending cap. She approved a revival of the estate tax and an increase in the cigarette tax. She won broad praise for reforming state bonding practices and supporting campaign finance reform. U.S. Sen. John McCain campaigned for Rell in 2006 and she was mentioned as a possible running mate for McCain in 2008 before he chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Last year, she cited Connecticut's "downward spiral" and tax climate as factors in her move to Florida. Dannel P. Malloy The former Stamford mayor squeaked into the governor's mansion — twice. In 2010, he survived an election night nail-biter to defeat Thomas Foley by about 6,000 votes. Four years later, he beat Foley again, this time by 28,000 votes. At his high point, Malloy was touted as an up-and- coming Democrat with national ticket potential and became a frequent guest on the "Morning Joe" show where he traded barbs with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. A handful of years later, as the two head into their last year in office, they hold the two lowest approval ratings of any governor. Malloy's successes include ending the state's ban on Sunday liquor sales, winning $1.6 billion in givebacks from state employee unions to avoid layoffs and repealing the state's death penalty. His early actions in declaring an emergency in the face of Hurricane Sandy are credited with limiting damage and putting the state first in line for federal aid. But he also oversaw two of the largest tax hikes in Connecticut history (in 2011 and 2015) and has presided over a slow-growing economy that has led to continual budget deficits. MAYORS Mike Peters Mayor Mike, as he was affectionately known, served four terms at the helm in Hartford — 1993-2001. His 1997 re-election showed his popularity — he won by almost a 9-1 margin. The former firefighter and redevelopment official was a relentless booster for the city yet saw the city's problems first hand. As mayor, he declared war on both gangs and the dilapidated public housing projects that were the gangs' fertile field. During his time in office, Hartford hit the national stage by hosting the first 1996 presidential debate between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole. That same year, Peters was named one of the top 10 public officials by Governing magazine. He talked the state into investing in downtown but couldn't stop the exit of the NHL Whalers. He started Mayor Mike's Companies for Kids and raised more than $1 million for youth recreation activities. His restaurant, Mayor Mike's, became a popular stop on Asylum Street. He died at age 60 in 2009. Eddie Perez Perez, a native of Puerto Rico, became New England's first Hispanic mayor when he was elected in 2001. His background as a community organizer in North End housing projects gave him an important perspective on the city's problems. He later led a neighborhood alliance backed by Hartford Hospital and Trinity College that played a major role in realizing the $250 million Learning Corridor initiative. As mayor, he was widely hailed for overhauling the school board and raising high school graduation rates. He twice was re-elected before resigning in 2010 amid a corruption scandal. In 2010, he was convicted of five counts of extortion and bribery charges. The focal point was $40,000 in kitchen and bathroom improvements Perez was accused of accepting from contractor Carlos Costa, who was working for the city on a Park Street improvement project. Perez appealed and won a pair of new trials, but he recently plead guilty to taking a bribe in order to avoid jail time. Pedro Segarra Segarra was appointed mayor in 2010 when Eddie Perez resigned. Like his predecessor, Segarra is a native of Puerto Rico and had been appointed to the city council with the help of Perez. He had been serving as president of the city council when Perez exited. In 2011, he won re-election but in 2015 was defeated by Luke Bronin in the Democratic primary. Segarra, a lawyer, had been the city's corporation counsel in the '90s before going into private practice. He became the city's first openly gay mayor and the second in the nation. During Segarra' tenure, the Great Recession lingered, taking its toll on employment, incomes and property values as well as on the city's budget. Segarra has said he was proud of doing more with less. The construction of a downtown baseball stadium started and 25 Years of Political Leaders

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