‘A city hall that looks like this city’: Incoming Hartford Mayor Arulampalam names staff members
Hartford’s incoming mayor, Arunan Arulampalam announced several staff appointments Tuesday as he builds his administration ahead of his inauguration Jan. 4.
Arulampalam has appointed Yahaira Escribano as chief of staff, Jonathan Harding as corporation counsel, Cristian Corza as deputy chief of staff, and Sincere Lawson as executive assistant to the mayor.
“Hartford is full of talented and dedicated community members who serve our city each and every day, and today I’m excited to name four of them and their roles in my administration,” Arulampalam said. “We’re going to hit the ground running on day one, and I know our team is ready and prepared to take on the challenges our city faces, and bring positive change to Hartford.”
Escribano, Lawson, and Corza are all under the age of 30. Arulampalam’s staff represents one of the youngest and most diverse administrations in the city’s history. Harding is under the age of 40.
“I think that understanding the lived experience of people who are in the city and having a level of trust and shared understanding with residents is incredibly important to me,” Arulampalam said. “Building out a city hall that leans on the skills and the talents that we already have in our city is important. I think as you meet these people you’re going to realize we have so much skill and talent here in our city. I promised from Election Night I would build out a city hall that looks like this city.”
Escribano, 28, is a current member of the Hartford Board of Education and Finance and Programs Officer at the Hartford Land Bank. A lifelong Hartford resident, she grew up on Martin Street in the Northeast section of the city. Arulampalam called Escribano a deep personal friend and his “right hand” at the Land Bank. The mayor-elect credited her with helping him launch the Land Bank’s developer cohort, one of the first such programs in the nation.
“I want our community to know that it is possible for our young people to be here,” Escribano said. “Martin Street is still inside of me. It is an honor to be here at this high level and to serve my community. I thank the mayor-elect’s faith, dedication, and commitment to this city. I’m excited for what we will accomplish.”
Corza, 24, was Arulampalam’s campaign manager and is the co-chair of Hartford’s Commission on Refugee and Immigrant Affairs. He has become well known in political circles across the country for his successful campaign that saw Arulampalam defeat two veteran lawmakers to become the next mayor-elect.
“This is a staff of rising stars,” Arulampalam. “After my campaign, Cristian impressed a lot of people in the political world. A lot of my consultants and a whole lot of people watching this race were salivating over trying to get him on a national race or another state. But Cristian really wanted to stay and dedicate his work to the city of Hartford. I promise you no one will work harder to that effort than Cristian.”
Lawson, a recent college graduate who grew up on Vine Street, also worked on the campaign and is a Hartford native.
“She’s starting off as executive assistant to the mayor, who knows where her career is going to take her,” Arulampalam said. “She’s somebody who knows this community and loves this community.”
Harding currently serves as associate general counsel for Gov. Ned Lamont and previously served as assistant attorney general for Connecticut.
“We are really fortunate to have Harding,” Arulampalam said. “He’s got experience in government and as a litigator. He brings a wealth of experience into this role. He’s also somebody I’ve known personally for a number of years and he’s the exact same age as me. We have young kids in the city. We’re homeowners in the city. We’ve grown up in the city together. But I also go to see his work firsthand. He’s going to bring so much to this role.”
Arulampalam, who has served as the executive director of the Land Bank since 2021, will step down next month once he assumes his new position as the 68th mayor of the city. The Land Bank has put together a search committee to find his replacement.
“This is what the future of leadership looks like in Hartford,” Arulampalam said. “They are folks who are young, energetic, capable, and talented. But also folks who are humble enough to seek out the wisdom of their elders. I’m asking everyone in the city to support them.”
