Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin is giving up his bid for governor, saying that he’s getting on now so his opponents won’ politicize the city’s financial woes.
“I don’t want people taking shots at Hartford in order to take shots at me,” Bronin said.
Last month, the state agreed to assume Hartford’s debt payments for years to come -- and that amounts to at least $550 million.
Bronin handed in his proposed municipal budget for Fiscal Year 2019 on Monday. In it, he said there’s no new borrowing for capital investments and that Hartford will spend about $2.3 million less in operating expenses than it did this fiscal year.
He’s yet to endorse another gubernatorial candidate. Whoever the next governor is, Bronin said he hopes that person will be an ally to his city.
“This is a capital city that has an opportunity today to move toward real long-term sustainability and strength,” Bronin said. “That depends very much on having a governor who gets it.”
Bronin won’t say whether he’ll run for the governor’s seat in the future or if he’ll seek another term as the mayor of Hartford.
