MAYOR BRONIN DELIVERS 2023 ‘STATE OF THE CITY’ ADDRESS
Published on March 27, 2023
HARTFORD, CONN (March 27, 2023) – Today, Mayor Luke Bronin, upon invitation from the Hartford Court of Common Council, delivered his State of the City address from City Council chambers. The address was his final as mayor of Hartford and was centered around the FY2024 budget, the work underway to support Hartford’s recovery and progress, and Mayor Bronin’s vision for Hartford in the remainder of his term and beyond:
“Tonight, I want to start where I usually end: the state of our city is strong,” Mayor Bronin said. “Its strength doesn’t come from the budget I’m going to talk about, or from this building. It doesn’t come from me as Mayor or from any other elected leaders. Hartford is strong because the people of Hartford are strong.”
Mayor Bronin outlined his recommended FY2024 budget, which was delivered to City Council earlier today:
“The budget I submitted today builds on that progress [of the last seven years],” Mayor Bronin stated. “It is balanced and responsible. It protects the ground we’ve gained, and it makes important new investments in our community… Every budget involves negotiation, but this budget reflects the priorities and aspirations that I have heard both from our community and from our City Council, and I urge the Council to support it.”
Mayor Bronin also described the City’s completed and ongoing work to support young people, small businesses, public safety, housing opportunity, arts, and economic development:
“That’s not everything we’re doing, or even close,” emphasized Mayor Bronin. “And the nature of our work is that it’s never done, and it’s never enough… But when you step back and take a look at everything we’re doing, I challenge you to show me a city in Connecticut or anywhere else that’s doing more.”
Mayor Bronin closed with a call to unity and an optimistic vision for Hartford’s future:
“Recognize that we can’t afford the old division between neighborhoods and downtown, South End and North End, because we’re tied together. Every single part of this city is full of extraordinary people. Kids as talented as any kids anywhere. Moms and dads as dedicated as any parents anywhere. Neighbors as caring to neighbors as any neighbors anywhere. Artists, musicians, dancers, athletes as gifted as any others anywhere. A city where you can do anything you want to do — including help shape the future of the city, if you love it.
A copy of Mayor Bronin’s State of the City Address, as prepared for delivery, is attached(PDF, 262KB). A livestream of the address is available at https://hpatv.org/, and a recording will be published afterwards.