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Eddie Perez (politician)

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For other uses, see Eddie Perez (disambiguation).
Eddie Pérez
65th Mayor of Hartford
In office
January 1, 2001 – June 25, 2010
Preceded byMichael P. Peters
Succeeded byPedro Segarra
Personal details
Born1957
Corozal, Puerto Rico
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMaria Perez
Alma materCapital Community-Technical College, Trinity College

Eduardo Alberto "Eddie" Perez (born 1957) is an American politician who served as the 65th mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, from 2001 to 2010.[1] Prior to entering politics, Perez worked as a community organizer. Perez served as the first mayor who was also the CEO of the city and was widely credited with reducing crime, reforming the school system and sparking economic revitalization in the city.[2]

Perez was recognized in 2001 for his willingness to challenge the entrenched Hartford political machine and form a multi-party coalition focused on reforming city government.[3]

Youth and early career

Eddie Alberto Pérez was born in 1957 in Corozal, Puerto Rico, where he spent most of his childhood. In 1969 the Pérez family moved to Hartford, Connecticut, which had a growing number of Puerto Rican immigrants already living there. Puerto Ricans had first come to central Connecticut in significant numbers in the 1940s to work in the region's tobacco fields.[4] Beginning in 1979 as a Vista volunteer, Perez founded O.N.E./C.H.A.N.E., a grassroots neighborhood organization dedicated to improving the housing and economic conditions in North Hartford. He then joined Make Something Happen as its director, in order to help the public housing residents in Hartford’s Stowe Village. In 1990, Perez became Trinity’s director of community and government relations.[5] In 1999, Perez became the president of the Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance, an organization sponsored by Trinity College and Hartford Hospital. As SINA’s president, Perez was instrumental in the foundation and implementation of the $250 million Learning Corridor complex.[6]

Term as mayor

In his first run for political office in 2001, Eddie Pérez made history as the first Hispanic–American to become mayor of a New England capital. A native of Puerto Rico, Pérez also broke new political ground by forging a bipartisan coalition of community activists and corporate leaders that contributed to his landslide victory. Elected on a platform of administrative reform, educational improvement, and housing development, Pérez received seventy-five percent of the vote on election day. Pérez credited grassroots support for giving him the victory. He also pointed to the reinvigorated sense of citizenship that his campaign had generated in Hartford's Hispanic community. "There was no sense of building social, economic, and cultural capital as Americans,"he told the New York Times shortly after his election, "We have to begin to rebuild that foundation."[4]

Perez, a Democrat,was re-elected in 2003 in a landslide victory and again in 2007.[7] During his tenure as mayor, Perez was credited with helping to reform the Hartford public school system, reduce crime, increase the city's historically low home ownership rate, increase the number residents with access to high-speed internet and spark economic development.[2]

Perez gained a reputation for pushing forward urban redevelopment in both the central business district and neighborhoods of the city.[8] At the same time, he worked with grass-roots unions such as UNITE HERE to make sure jobs at new developments went to city residents.[9] Mayor Perez resigned from the office following his conviction on corruption charges in 2010.[10]

Corruption cases

Perez was arrested in 2009 and a convicted in 2010 on charges related to a failed development deal and work done by a city contractor on his house. It was alleged that Perez took part in two separate corrupt schemes, in the first one he was accused of accepting bribes from a city contractor (primarily discounted home renovation) in return for protecting the contractor from the consequences of shoddy work they had done for the city. The second case involved attempted larceny by extortion, it was alleged that Perez tried to coerce a Hartford businessman into paying a bribe to a friendly politician.[11] Even after his conviction Perez claimed that he was innocent and vowed to appeal the conviction.[12] Some, at the time of the Perez investigation, wondered if there was a connection between the Governor's Chief of Staff, the Chief State's Attorney and the investigation of Perez, a political opponent of the Governor.[13]

In a December 9, 2013 ruling the Connecticut Appellate Court vacated Perez's sentence. The court found the trial judge abused her discretion by trying two unrelated cases at the same time, which violated Perez's Constitutional right to a fair trial.[14][15] They did not however rule that he couldn't still be tried for both crimes separately.[16]. On July 14, 2016, the Connecticut Supreme Court upheld the December, 2013 decision of the Connecticut Appellate Court overturning Pérez’s conviction on charges of bribery, fabricating evidence, and conspiracy to fabricate evidence in connection with the failed development of a vacant site, and improvements to his home by a city contractor,[17] and vacated his sentence.

After the Appellate Court decision Perez was re-indicted on the charges but this time split into two separate cases. In 2017 Perez pleaded guilty to avoid facing two lengthy and expensive trials with little chance of success (his previous conviction only being thrown out on a technicality).[11] He pleaded guilty to receiving bribes related to the corrupt contractor case and criminal attempt to commit larceny in the first degree by extortion related to the extortion case.[18]

In march 2019 Perez was stripped of his State pension because of the severity of his crimes. His legal team made the argument that while he had indeed committed the crimes in question there was no direct financial harm to the city, an argument which was disputed by the prosecution and found wanting by the Judge. The Judge stated that “The severity of the crimes, the self dealing and disdain for the public good demonstrated by his conduct, as well as the high degree of public trust reposed in the defendant, outweigh any factors mitigating his crimes.”[11]

Activities since leaving office

Since leaving office Perez has served as a consultant for non-profits working with those living with H.I.V. and other groups engaged in neighborhood development. He also has opened an insurance firm in the city with two other partners on Park Street in Hartford.[19]

2019 mayoral run

On April 4th 2019, Perez announced he was once again running to be Mayor of Hartford [20]

References

  1. ^ Weiss, Eric M. (November 7, 2001). "Call Him 'Señor Alcalde'". Hartford Courant. Puerto Rico Herald. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Mr. Perez For Mayor". HartfordInfo.org. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  3. ^ Writer, MARK PAZNIOKAS; Courant Staff (2001). "PEREZ OUTFLANKS HIS OWN PARTY". Courant.com. Retrieved January 27, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b "Eddie Alberto Pérez: 1957—: Political Leader Biography - Hartford, Community, College, and City - JRank Articles". Biography.jrank.org. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "SINA: The Learning Corridor and Beyond". HartfordInfo.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-28. Retrieved 2016-06-23. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Stuart, Christine (November 7, 2007). "Despite Investigations, Perez Is Re-elected in Hartford". Retrieved January 27, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  8. ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/06/29/beleaguered-hartford-seeks-comeback/a6485ff3-1c5b-4e67-9d06-fe2d44119b8f/
  9. ^ Writer, KENNETH R. GOSSELIN; Courant Staff (2005). "UNION AT HILTON APPROVES 4-YEAR CONTRACT". Courant.com. Retrieved January 27, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "Statement of Mayor Eddie A. Perez" (PDF). City of Hartford. June 18, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  11. ^ a b c Cohen, Jeff. "State Judge Revokes Pension Of Convicted Former Hartford Mayor Perez". www.wnpr.org. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  12. ^ "Perez Gets Three Years - Courant Community". Courant.com. September 15, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  13. ^ "State's Top Prosecutor Stepped On Wrong Toes - tribunedigital-thecourant". Articles.courant.com. 2006-06-11. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  14. ^ "Court Orders Two New Trials For Former Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez | WNPR News". Wnpr.org. 2013-12-09. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  15. ^ Salzman, Avi (September 30, 2006). "The Week in Connecticut". Retrieved January 27, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  16. ^ "Appeals Court: Perez Should Get New Trials - tribunedigital-thecourant". Courant.com. 2013-12-09. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  17. ^ Cohen, Jeff. "State's High Court Overturns Convictions of Former Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez". Retrieved 2016-07-14.
  18. ^ "Trial Memorandum" (PDF). publicbroadcasting.net/. publicbroadcasting.net/. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  19. ^ Posted 10:36 PM, October 22, 2013, by msassofoxct (2013-10-22). "Former Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez To Open Insurance Company | FOX 61". Foxct.com. Retrieved June 23, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Template:Https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Eddie-Perez-Formally-Announces-Mayoral-Run--508135631.html

External links

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