Hartford has done a complete turnaround in the time that T.J. Clarke has been on the City Council, in Clarke’s view.
The council majority leader joined the Municipal Voice, a co-production of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and WNHH 103.5 FM, to talk about issues important to the capital city.
Pulled from the brink of bankruptcy, Clarke said, Hartford is finally in a financially good place thanks to the mayor, two governors, federal funds, and smart projects from the council.
For instance, Clarke credits the reimagining of the Albany Avenue to the work of fellow Councilor Shirley Surgeon. Streetscape and facade projects have allowed a major throughway to reinvigorate the economy.
There is still work to be done. Clarke hopes to bring a grocery store into an area that he says operates like a food desert.
Clarke would also like to see improved internet infrastructure for Hartford’s businesses and neighborhoods, which would make it easier to attract companies.
“You know this is, to me, something that we should not be having a conversation on March 14th, 2022,” he said, “because of how technology has evolved in our country. But we are still experiencing technological issues in some of our heaviest impacted communities.”
Even though the pandemic threw the city a curveball during a time of great development, there are projects or ideas that need to be considered.
“There are people still reeling out of the pandemic,” Clarke noted, “there are a lot of residents that have not bounced back.”
Hartford is looking to ease some of that burden by looking to delay the revaluation process, or even decreasing the mill rate.
The city is also exploring the idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI), considering single mothers as potential recipients for monthly cash stipends.
Brainard Airport redevelopment and red light cameras are a couple of other options the council is examining as tools to spur economic development.
“I am absolutely, without equivocation, optimistic about the future of the city of Hartford,” Clarke said, “[… it] is filled with so much promise.”
Watch the full interview with T.J. Clarke below.