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Segarra Should Run For Full Term

Change Of Heart Hartford mayor — and others — should run for full term next year

The Hartford Courant

November 28, 2010

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra's decision to seek a full term should be welcomed by city residents, but should not rule out challenges by other qualified candidates.

Mr. Segarra, the former city council president, was sworn in last June after former Mayor Eddie Perez was convicted on corruption charges. Mr. Segarra initially indicated he would only serve out the remainder of Mr. Perez's term, which ends in a little more than a year. But after several months in the job, Mr. Segarra changed his mind and decided to run for a full term in 2011.

There is nothing wrong with changing your mind; it is something politicians don't do often enough. Mr. Segarra is off to a strong start. He presided over a calm and civil transfer of power and is creating a city government that is more transparent than it's been in recent years and more responsive to quality-of-life issues such as clean parks and removal of blighted buildings.

But Mr. Segarra faces intense fiscal challenges in the coming budget year, and has not yet articulated a big-picture vision for the city.

If he can bring the budget under control and present a convincing blueprint for the city's future — if he governs with his eye on the city and not his re-election — he'll be a compelling candidate. But there are other strong candidates poised to seek the office. City voters deserve a choice among good candidates, and we hope that's what they will get.