Mayor: Democrat Scott Jackson

For the past four years, we have worked to build a stronger Hamden. I’m proud that, with experienced leadership and a positive vision, the Town’s financial position, our parks and playgrounds, buildings, sidewalks and roads have all seen significant improvement.

This has been accomplished working in constant cooperation with our Council, Board of Education and Building Committee — as well as the 30+ volunteer boards and commissions and civic associations invested in Hamden's future. Together, we are building a stronger Hamden with conviction and purpose.

I am a lifelong Hamden resident. I was raised in Hamden and chose Hamden as the place to raise my family. I want my two boys to have the same opportunities to succeed from this great community that I did. 
 
In challenging times for most every municipality, you can be confident that Hamden is being managed properly, for now and for our future. My Administration has managed consecutive balanced budgets, received clean independent audits, improved key municipal fiscal health indicators like the fund balance and medical self insurance fund and negotiated cost saving new health insurance plans with our unions that are estimated to save the Town $3 million annually. 

With our financial condition strengthened, Hamden is well positioned to provide the quality services our residents deserve. Protecting neighborhood character, enhancing safety and preserving our quality of life is what I work for every day as your Mayor.  

Despite serious incidents in the news and recent sensationalized, misleading political postcards, crime in Hamden is down 14 percent and 5 percent, respectively, according to the State of Connecticut's Preliminary 1st & 2nd Quarter Index of Crime from 2012 to 2013. Some will try to scare you — but the facts speak the truth. I work with and strongly support our police and fire departments — we must work to protect those who protected us.

I'm very proud that we have created a true community-gathering place at Town Center Park, in the true New England fashion. Improvements include Hamden’s first all-abilities playground (100 percent grant funded), an expanded farmer’s market and new summer movie nights — all complementing our topnotch concert series and fireworks.  

We have invested in parks all across Hamden, resulting in the best field conditions in recent history, constructed a grant funded new children’s playground at Bassett Park’s Larry’s Playground and supported our libraries, schools, senior and youth programming, understanding their importance to our community.

Our Town's pension fund, after decades of underfunding, was Hamden's top liability. This was a problem that developed over decades and needed a long term solution. We assembling a team of national experts and after carefully analyzing reform options, we launched comprehensive pension reform,  which won unanimous, bipartisan approval and saved the pension from bankruptcy. 
My opponent in this election even spoke in favor of major aspects of our pension reform package in public before our Legislative Council and I applaud him for that. As a recipient of a Town pension for his many years protecting us as part of the Town's Fire Department, his pension, along with the many other men and women who have earned one working for this Town, needed to be ensured. We were able to accomplish this in a way that avoids the hefty tax increases that have been imposed by many other governments with similar pension problems.

I do this job not because it is easy, but because it matters.  I want to continue to work with you -  together - to build an even strong Hamden in the days and years to come.