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EAST HARTFORD — As East Hartford's youngest mayor and its first mayor of color, 32-year-old Connor Martin is ready to put what he sees as his unique vision to work to try and revitalize the town.
Martin, who was former Mayor Mike Walsh's Chief of Staff, officially became East Hartford's mayor Monday morning. Surrounded by his family, friends and public supporters, Martin was sworn in by Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz at the town's Cultural Community Center.
"I'm just filled with joy, so appreciative of all the people that showed up today," Martin said. "I wasn't expecting this many people, but I think it speaks to the support that I'll have as mayor, and hopefully these people won't let me fail."
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One of the new mayor's top priorities is to change the economic realities for its residents, and along with it the economic perception of the town as a whole.
"We're no longer going to be this blue collar town, this poor community that we get labeled as," Martin said.
"We have to start raising the household median income, bring in revenue through economic development, and bring in retail, entertainment, shopping," Martin added. "We want to give residents a reason to spend their money in East Hartford."
Walsh's somewhat sudden decision not to seek another term may have surprised some, but Martin's decision to quickly opt to run for the position wasn't a surprise to at least one person.
Martin's fiance, Beatrice Alicea, said that ever since 2018 when she and Martin began their relationship — when Martin was running for Town Council in East Hartford — Martin had plans to be mayor.
She said that Martin texted her that they needed to talk after Walsh told him that he would not be seeking re-election.
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"I wanted to support him on this," Alicea said. "It was just taking a leap of faith. We didn't know what campaigning was going to look like, if and when he won. We're overwhelmed with gratitude."
Martin announced Monday that taking over his previous role as chief of staff would be Communications Specialist Ekaterine Tchelidze.
This was not a surprise to Tchelidze, but rather a secret she had to keep until now. She said Martin told her in September that if he won the mayoral election, he would like her to be his chief of staff.
"I started in East Hartford in May 2018," Tchelidze said. "I'm very excited to continue serving our community. East Hartford has a bright future, and we have amazing goals. I'm very excited to be a part of the team to help make those goals a reality."
Martin also assured his supporters that they can expect the town staff to prioritize them, as they work for the residents.
"Coming as chief of staff, I see the cracks in our foundation, I get to see the lapse in customer service," Martin said. "I wanted to send a reminder to everybody that as you work here in East Hartford, you work on behalf of our residents. They are our number one customer, number one priority. Their satisfaction is our number one goal. You need to come into this place everyday at 8:30 a.m. with that mindset, and you need to leave it with that same mindset."
Martin said that first on his mayoral to-do list is to meet with directors, and prep for the annual town hall where he will meet with residents to share his vision for the town.
Martin said that some of the vision includes the construction of apartments where the Showcase Cinemas movie theater used to be, which will take place in the early 2024, and the redevelopment of the Church Corners Inn, which should also begin in spring.
Martin said that being East Hartford's youngest mayor is monumental to him, and he is up for the challenge, but he has encountered people who are wary of him being a young mayor.
"I remind everybody that I've been doing this work with Mayor Mike, and before that on the Town Council here in East Hartford, so I know this local government, I know the projects," Martin said. "I have a masters degree in management and leadership, and over 12 years of management experience."
Martin said that while he sees his new role as mayor as bringing in a new generation to politics, he is not pushing the older generation aside.
"At the end of the day I tell the older generation this, that I still need you. I need you to show me the mistakes that were made in the past, and help make my generation not make those same mistakes in the future," Martin said. "I don't want the older generation to go away, and my mayoralship does not signal any of that. It signals a renewed partnership between two different generations who are both in the same workplace looking to move East Hartford forward, and we have to do that together. We need that, and we need their guidance."