Former Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez plans to announce on Thursday that he is running for his old job, according to close associates.
The 61-year-old Democrat served nine years as mayor before resigning in 2010 after he was convicted of five felony corruption charges. His conviction was overturned by the state Appellate Court in 2013, a decision that was upheld by the state Supreme Court.
“He made a mistake but any person deserves a second chance,” said Elvis Tejada, a former Democratic Town Committee member from Hartford who confirmed that Perez planned to announce his candidacy at the Arch Street Tavern in Hartford. “I’m going to support him. As Latinos, we love Eddie because he was good mayor.”
Through an adviser, Matthew Hennessy, Perez declined to comment on Thursday’s announcement. In an interview last month, he said he had received encouragment to run from city residents but was still weighing his future.
Rumors of Perez’ return to politics have percolated for months, shaking up an increasingly crowded mayoral race. In addition to Democratic incumbent Mayor Luke Bronin, the contest also includes state Rep. Brandon McGee, Hartford Board of Education chair Craig Stallings and local businessmen J. Stan McCauley and Aaron Lewis.
Some critics say privately that Perez’s heavy baggage — he was convicted in 2010 of five felony corruption charges connected to discounted home repairs done by a city contractor and an extortion case involving a North End power broker — doom any hope of a comeback. He was sentenced to three years in prison, but the state Appellate Court overturned his convictions in 2013. The reversal was upheld by Connecticut’s Supreme Court and last year, Perez pleaded guilty to taking a bribe and attempted first-degree larceny by extortion, which allowed him to avoid prison.
“I won’t be going to his announcement,” said Hyacinth Yennie, a member of the Hartford Democratic town committee who is backing Bronin. “I won’t let the fox back into the henhouse.”
But others remain loyal to Perez, a former gang member who grew up in public housing, graduated from Trinity College and became a community organizer before overseeing the $220 million Learning Corridor project in the city’s Frog Hollow neighborhood. Perez enjoys broad name recognition and remains deeply tapped in to the community. He currently works as a transportation coordinator for the Capitol Region Education Council.
“I’ve known Eddie for 40 years and he’s a very humble, honest guy,” said Maria Sanchez, who owns a gift and flower shop on Park Street, the heart of Hartford’s Latino community. “Anyone can make a mistake.”
Sanchez said she plans to attend Perez’ announcement on Thursday and will support his campaign. But as a resident of Bloomfield, she is unable to vote for him.
Edward Casares Jr., who was appointed as Hartford’s fire chief by Perez, said the former mayor has a deep understanding of the city and an ability to bridge ethnic and racial divides. “Eddie can bring the city together and get us to where we need to be,” he said.
Casares said Bronin’s efforts to address Hartford’s fiscal problems have fallen disproportionately on poor residents of the city’s neighborhoods.
“Our residents do not feel our current adminsitration is for the entire city,” he said. “You can see where the focus is. The North End is not coming around as he promised, the South End is deteriorating and downtown appears to be thriving.”
Bronin, in a statement, defended his record. “We’ve come a long way in the last few years, and I’ll be working hard every day to make sure we can keep Hartford moving forward,” he said. “Hartford’s heading in the right direction for the first time in a long time, and this isn’t a time to slow down or go back.”
