Luke Aaron Bronin[2] (born June 30, 1979)[3] is an American politician and lawyer who was the 67th mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, serving from January 1, 2016, to January 1, 2024.[4][5]
Bronin has served as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and was deployed to Afghanistan and assigned to the Anti-Corruption Task Force.[7] He also worked in the private sector, at The Hartford Financial Services Group, as chief of staff to the President of the Hartford's Property and Casualty Division.[8] In December 2014, the law firm Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP announced Bronin would become a partner.[9] He is a member of the Democratic Party.[10]
After graduation from Yale Law School, Bronin joined The Hartford Insurance Company in the Asylum Hill neighborhood of Hartford, where he worked first as associate counsel and assistant to the general counsel, and then as chief of staff to the President of The Hartford's Property and Casualty Division Neal Wolin.[13][14] He is a partner at the private law firm Hinckley Allen LLP.[9]
In 2006, Bronin served as deputy campaign manager for Dannel Malloy's run for Governor of Connecticut.[10]
Military service
Bronin served as a commissioned intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve.[17][18] He was a member of the military's anti-corruption task force during his deployment to Afghanistan from September 2010 to April 2011. He left active service as a lieutenant.
Obama administration
During the first term of President Barack Obama's administration, Bronin served in appointed positions at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He first served as Senior Advisor to his former boss, the Deputy Secretary of the United States Treasury Neal Wolin.[17]
Bronin was then named Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes.[19] He also testified before Congress in his official capacity.[13]
Mayor of Hartford
Before running for mayor, Bronin joined the Governor Dannel Malloy's administration as general counsel in January 2013.[20]
In 2015, he ran in and won the Democratic primary in the Hartford Mayoral election against an incumbent, Mayor Pedro Segarra. In July 2015, the Hartford Democratic Town Council endorsed Bronin.[21] Then, in a September 2015 primary, he defeated Mayor Segarra by a ten-point margin.[22] Following the primary victory, he was endorsed by Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy and Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy.[23][24] He won the general election on November 3, 2015.[4]
Although he pledged that he would serve out his full term as Mayor of Hartford, in December 2017, Bronin formed an exploratory committee to run for Governor of Connecticut in 2018.[25][26] He abandoned his bid in April 2018 after failing to gain traction.[27][28] During his campaign, he was criticized for soliciting campaign donations from Hartford public employees using their government email accounts, a misstep that led to a complaint with the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission.[29]
In January 2019, Bronin announced he would seek reelection for Mayor of Hartford.[30] He faced challenges in the Democratic primary from former Mayor Eddie Perez, first elected in 2001 but who resigned from office in 2010 after being convicted on corruption charges,[31] and Connecticut State RepresentativeBrandon McGee.[32] Bronin coasted to victory during the September 10 Democratic primary, capturing nearly 60% of the vote. Perez challenged Bronin again in the general election as an independent candidate Several other challengers faced Bronin in the November 5 general election. They were TV entrepreneur J. Stan McCauley, a Democrat who was cross-endorsed by the Hartford Republican Town Committee and will appear on the Republican line in the general election; Aaron Lewis, president and CEO of The Scribe's Ink publishing service; and Giselle “Gigi” Jacobs, who owns a cleaning company, Sister Soldier Environmental Services. Lewis and Jacobs are also Democrats.[33] Bronin won the general election by a broad margin, and was elected to a second term as mayor.
In 2022, Bronin announced he would not seek a third term as mayor.[34]
Divorce: Luke Bronin and Sara Bronin, a prominent power couple in Connecticut's political and academic circles, announced their decision to divorce in September 2024.[38] In a message to friends, they stated that they are "planning to separate and to begin moving toward a divorce, in a collaborative, loving, mutually supportive process." The couple, who have been married for 17 years and together for over 20, emphasized their continued friendship and their deep love for their three children.
Bronin is a songwriter, guitarist, and singer, with a self-titled album of seven songs.[39] One of his songs was played on the television show Dawson's Creek.[40]
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