Fireside Chat with Hartford’s Mayor, Arunan Arulampalam

Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam is leading the charge to transform Connecticut’s capital city. From revitalizing neighborhoods to expanding youth recreation programs and economic development, Mayor Arulampalam is working to reshape Hartford’s future. 

Mayor Arulampalam joined Janice Brunner, Group General Counsel and Head of Civic Engagement at Travelers, to discuss how those who live and work in Hartford can contribute to the growth and civic health of the city. 

This discussion is part of our Civic Conversations series in which Citizen Travelers^SM – Travelers’ industry-leading, nonpartisan civic engagement initiative – and the Travelers Institute^® are teaming up to host conversations among leading thinkers in the areas of civic engagement and civic learning. Stay tuned for more discussions featuring thought leaders in this dynamic space and thank you for supporting Citizen Travelers at the Travelers Institute. 

Learn more about Citizen Travelers.  

Please note: Due to the nature of the replays, survey and chat features mentioned in the webinar recordings below are no longer active.

Summary

What did we learn? Here are the top takeaways from our Fireside Chat with Hartford’s Mayor:

Leadership success depends on building skilled, effective teams. While we elect individuals to office, effective governance requires bringing together people with varied experiences and backgrounds. “We shouldn’t all be lawyers. ... We need a depth of creativity and skills and experiences to be able to take the society we see today and build the society we want to build,” Mayor Arulampalam explained. Building the right team and leveraging broad community support enables more intentional progress toward civic goals.

Hartford faces unique challenges as a regional hub. As a city of 120,000 serving a metro region of 1.2 million, Hartford shoulders disproportionate responsibilities with limited resources. As Mayor Arulampalam noted, Hartford has a “fraction of the tax base” needed and therefore requires regional cooperation to address shared challenges effectively – like the partnership between the town of East Hartford and the city of Hartford. Hartford inevitably has its unique challenges like other cities, big or small, but the only solution is for people to come together and work toward a common goal.

Innovation and corporate partnerships are vital to Hartford’s future. The city is pursuing transformative initiatives like an AI institute that leverages Hartford’s corporate and educational strengths. “We are being viewed as a leader in some of the innovative solutions we’ve brought to reducing crime, the work we’re doing on innovation in the city of Hartford, and on the creation of an AI institute, I think, as other regions of the country are looking at what they’re doing, including Cambridge, many of them are coming and talking to us,” the mayor shared.

Civic engagement opportunities are abundant and accessible. There are numerous ways for citizens to make an impact, from serving on nonprofit boards to joining city commissions. “Whatever your skill or talent or passion is, there’s a way in which that can be used to make this city better and make this region better,” the mayor emphasized. The key is taking initiative and finding ways to contribute, regardless of background or expertise.

Revitalization requires both structural and cultural change. Beyond addressing practical challenges like housing affordability and business development, Hartford must overcome perceptual barriers. “The biggest challenge that we face collectively is just a lack of belief in what we could be, a lack of imagination about what we can be as a city,” Mayor Arulampalam said. Success requires not just policy changes but shifting mindsets about Hartford’s potential.  

Speaker

 
Arunan Arulampalam
Mayor of Hartford 

Host

Janice Brunner
Group General Counsel and Head of Civic Engagement, Travelers