Pedro Segarra

{{Short description|Puerto Rican-American politician and lawyer}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Pedro Segarra

| image = Pedro Segarra (61399).jpg

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| office = 66th Mayor of Hartford

| term_start = June 25, 2010

| term_end = December 31, 2015

| predecessor = Eddie Perez

| successor = Luke Bronin

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| party = Democratic

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|4|28}}

| birth_place= Maricao, Puerto Rico

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| spouse = Charlie Ortiz

| profession = attorney

|alma_mater = Greater Hartford Community College
University of Hartford (BA)
University of Connecticut (MSW)
University of Connecticut School of Law (JD)

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Pedro E. Segarra (born April 28, 1959) is a Puerto Rican-American politician and lawyer who served as the 66th mayor of Hartford, Connecticut.{{cite news|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-segarra-bronin-comparison-0913-20150913-story.html|title=The Incumbent: Mayor Pedro Segarra Segarra was appointed to the Hartford City Council|date=September 13, 2015|first=Jenna|last=Carlesso|accessdate=January 22, 2019|work=Hartford Courant}} Prior to becoming mayor, Segarra was president of Hartford's City Council. He succeeded former Mayor Eddie Perez who resigned after he was convicted by a state Superior Court jury of bribery and extortion in a political corruption case, though Perez' convictions eventually were reversed by the Connecticut Appellate Court.{{Cite web|url=http://wnpr.org/post/perez-convictions-overturned-what-happens-his-pension|title = With Perez Convictions Overturned, What Happens to His Pension?|date = 11 February 2014}}{{Cite web| title=State of Connecticut v. Eddie A. Perez | url=http://www.jud.ct.gov/external/supapp/Cases/AROAP/AP147/147AP563.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907185105/http://www.jud.ct.gov/external/supapp/Cases/AROap/AP147/147AP563.pdf | archive-date=2015-09-07}} Segarra was sworn in as mayor on June 25, 2010, and won re-election on November 8, 2011. In 2015, Luke Bronin defeated Segarra for the Democratic mayoral nomination. He is Hartford's second mayor of Puerto Rican ancestry and the first openly gay mayor of the city. He is also the second openly gay mayor of an American state capital city (David Cicilline of neighboring Providence, Rhode Island was the first).[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/nyregion/26hartford.html Hartford Mayor Quits Under Fire] from the New York Times 25 June 2010[http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/eddie-perez/hc-pedro-segarra-0623-20100622,0,6225691.story Pedro Segarra Poised To Become Hartford Mayor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630170516/http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/eddie-perez/hc-pedro-segarra-0623-20100622,0,6225691.story |date=2014-06-30 }} from the Hartford Courant 23 June 2010

Early life and career

Segarra was born in the small rural town of Maricao, Puerto Rico. At age seven his family relocated to the Bronx, New York in search of better opportunities. At the age of fifteen, Segarra moved to Hartford seeking a better life than what he was experiencing in New York City.{{Cite web|last=Carlesso|first=Jenna|date=2015-09-13|title=The Incumbent: Mayor Pedro Segarra|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-segarra-bronin-comparison-0913-20150913-story.html|access-date=2022-01-09|website=Hartford Courant}} A resident of Hartford since 1975, Segarra is an alum of Greater Hartford Community College, where he was a founding member of the college’s Latin American Student Organization.{{Cite web|date=2019-09-25|title=Alumni Hall of Fame Inductees To Be Recognized At 14th Changing Lives Gala, October 25th|url=https://capcommcollege.org/2019/09/25/alumni-hall-of-fame-inductees-to-be-recognized-at-14th-changing-lives-gala-october-25th/|access-date=2022-01-09|website=Capital Community College|language=en}} He later earned a full scholarship to the University of Hartford, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020|reason=citation to reliable source required}}

Segarra was admitted to the University of Connecticut's Graduate School of Social Work, where he received a Master of Social Work.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020|reason=citation to reliable source required}} After graduation, he attended the University of Connecticut School of Law and graduated in 1985.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020|reason=citation to reliable source required}} He passed the Connecticut bar that same year. While in law school, Segarra was a founding member of the Latino Law Student Organization and became the organization's first President.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020|reason=citation to reliable source required}} He is a member of Connecticut's state and federal bars (since 1986) and the Bar of the State of Florida (since 2000).

In 1991, Segarra was appointed Corporation Counsel for the City of Hartford, the youngest person ever selected for the position at that time.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020|reason=citation to reliable source required}} and appointed for the position for three consecutive terms.{{Cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/1997/04/04/ex-corporation-counsel-accused-of-misusing-clients-money/|title = Ex-Corporation Counsel Accused of Misusing Client's Money| date=4 April 1997 }} He is also a founding member of Hartford's branch of Hogar CREA, the Hispanic Health Council (HHC), and Connecticut Latino/as Achieving Rights & Opportunities (CLARO).{{Cite web |url=http://www.hartford.gov/government/council/COUNCILMAN_PEDRO_SEGARRA.htm |title=Hartford City Council: Councilmember Pedro Segarra |access-date=2010-07-07 |archive-date=2011-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928224135/http://www.hartford.gov/government/council/COUNCILMAN_PEDRO_SEGARRA.htm |url-status=dead }}

Personal life

Prior to becoming mayor, Segarra was a managing partner of the Law Office of Segarra & López, however after taking office he announced to his clients that he would be closing down his private practice to focus on his mayoral duties.[http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-perez-0626-20100625,0,2701886.story Perez Resigns; Segarra Sworn In] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808140720/http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-perez-0626-20100625,0,2701886.story |date=2014-08-08 }} from the Hartford Courant 26 June 2010 As an active member of the community, Segarra resides in the West End of Hartford with his husband, Charlie Ortiz.{{Cite web |url=http://www.hartford.gov/government/council/COUNCILMAN_PEDRO_SEGARRA.htm |title=Hartford City Council: Councilmember Pedro Segarra |access-date=2010-07-07 |archive-date=2011-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928224135/http://www.hartford.gov/government/council/COUNCILMAN_PEDRO_SEGARRA.htm |url-status=dead }}[http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-gaymarriage-0327,0,380710.story Crowds Jam Gay Marriage Hearing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808140724/http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-gaymarriage-0327,0,380710.story |date=2014-08-08 }} from the Hartford Courant 27 March 2007

References

External links

[http://www.hartford.gov/mayors-office/mayors-bio Mayoral biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621094057/http://www.hartford.gov/mayors-office/mayors-bio |date=2017-06-21 }}
[https://twitter.com/hartfordmayor Pedro Segarra] on Twitter
{{C-SPAN|9276348}}