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City Council Members Knows When Perez Will Resign…But They’re Not Telling

Jeff Cohen

June 22, 2010

Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez and the man who will replace him have agreed on a date on which the mayor will resign.

At a city hall press conference Tuesday night, council President Pedro Segarra said that the date had been agreed upon – and that the mayor would make that date known in a statement Friday.

Segarra said that the date gives him time to close his private law practice, and it gives Perez time to help with the transition. There doesn’t appear to be significant disagreement at the city council about the date of Perez’s resignation.

Segarra said he recognized that public perception is important, and that he is concerned that people think a delay in Perez’s departure could be misinterpreted. On this, he asked for patience.

“I don’t think that people should confuse the fact that we needed to work out what were mutually agreeable dates to us between the council and him for an unwillingness to remove himself from the role, or that there was any type of clandestine negotiations or anything. It’s really about a transition.”

Segarra said that any attempt by the council to remove Perez would likely last much beyond Perez’s anticipated date of resignation.

“I think that I’m comfortable with the date, I think the mayor is comfortable with the date, I think the majority of the council people with whom I’ve spoken are comfortable with the date.”

A jury found Perez guilty of five corruption-related charges last week.