Longtime Hartford Probate Judge Announces Mayoral Bid

On the same day as his official retirement from the bench, Judge Robert Killian announced plans to seek Hartford’s highest office.

Killian served as Hartford’s Probate Judge for 30 years and six months. He said it's time now for a drastic change of thinking inside Hartford City Hall.

"I’m challenging a mindset that I think Pedro [Segarra] shares with the city of Hartford, and that is that the city of Hartford has to do more things to entice new people to live here," Killian said during an interview Friday.

Killian said spending has been out of control in Hartford, due in part to decisions by Segarra’s office and the Hartford City Council.

He said the new baseball stadium leaves existing residents behind without adding any value to neighborhoods that need investment.

"When we do grand plans here, I don’t think we adequately consider the consequences for the people who live here," he said.

Construction on the stadium got underway last month. The ballpark is slated to open in April 2016 and will house the future Hartford Yard Goats baseball team.

Killian said the stadium won’t be the payoff city leaders have touted. He added that future apartments in the vicinity of the stadium won’t improve the quality of life in the city.

"A couple thousand people, if they’re totally built out and totally successful, but totally oblivious to the fact that it doesn’t do anything for the 125,000 or so people who live here by choice or necessity," he said.

The longtime judge said spending on pension and retirement plans for elected officials is also rampant. He wants to see a change from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution system for future elected officials.

"That just doesn’t make any sense," he said.

Killian said it’s one of the reasons Hartford faces future deficits in the tens of millions of dollars.

"It doesn’t do anything for the city at large. The problem is it’s broke. We’re flat busted broke and we have limited potential for seeing improvement either in the short term or the long term," he explained.

Killian is the latest Democrat to enter the race. Luke Bronin and John Gale are also in the running for the Democratic nomination.

Bronin is a former Legal Adviser to Gov. Dannel Malloy and White House Staffer under President Barack Obama. Gale is a Hartford attorney who’s served on Hartford’s Democratic Committee.
 

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