Shari Cantor
{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Shari Cantor
| image =
| caption =
| office = West Hartford Mayor
| term_start = 2016
| term_end =
| predecessor = Scott Slifka
| successor =
| office2 = West Hartford Deputy Mayor
| term_start2 = 2014
| term_end2 = 2016
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 1960
| birth_place =
| party = Democratic
| spouse = Michael Cantor
| children = 4
| residence = West Hartford
| alma_mater = University of Connecticut
| nationality = American
| awards =
| signature =
| website =
}}
Shari Cantor (born 1960) is a Certified Public Accountant and politician from West Hartford, Connecticut. She is the Mayor of West Hartford.
Early life and education
A native of West Hartford, Cantor attended Hall High School. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Connecticut (UConn) with a degree in accounting.{{cite web |last1=Kristin |first1=Stoller |title=West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor Plans To Stay Approachable |url=https://www.courant.com/community/west-hartford/hc-west-hartford-shari-cantor-mayor-profile-0518-20160517-story.html |website=courant.com |publisher=The Hartford Courant |accessdate=3 May 2019}}
Family
She met her husband, Michael Cantor, while studying at the University of Connecticut.
They have four children together, all boys. Their youngest son was born with a serious heart defect, which has led to her volunteer leadership with the Connecticut Children's Medical Center and the American Heart Association.{{cite web |last1=Newton |first1=Ronnie |title=Getting Personal: West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor |url=https://we-ha.com/getting-personal-west-hartford-mayor-shari-cantor/ |website=we-ha.com |publisher=we-ha.com |access-date=May 3, 2019}}
Business career
Political career
Cantor joined the West Hartford town council in 2004 and became Deputy Mayor in 2012. In 2016 she became Mayor of West Hartford, her first two projects were the designation of a town Poet Laureate and making the town a “heart safe community." Even though West Hartford is an affluent town of 63,000 the office is unpaid.{{Cite web |url=https://www.courant.com/hartford-magazine/hc-hm-shari-cantor-west-hartford-mayor-20190428-20190422-euj3b27qefgyhidjekcook77xi-story.html |title=Shari Cantor: An Unpaid Mayor In Constant Motion |last=Holahan |first=David |publisher=The Hartford Courant |access-date=May 2, 2019 |website=courant.com}} She is the de facto leader of the West Hartford Democrats.{{Cite web |url=https://ctmirror.org/2019/01/07/cantor-endorsement-boosts-slap-race-succeed-bye/ |title=Cantor endorsement boosts Slap in race to succeed Bye |last=Phaneuf |first=Keith M. |publisher=CT Mirror |access-date=May 2, 2019 |website=ctmirror.org}} Challenges during her term as mayor have included conflict with the Metropolitan District of Connecticut and dealing with the effects of a decrease in state education aid.{{Cite web |url=https://www.courant.com/community/west-hartford/hc-news-west-hartford-shari-cantor-state-of-town-20180125-story.html |title=Mayor Shari Cantor: State Of West Hartford Remains Strong |last=Porter |first=Mikaela |access-date=May 2, 2019 |website=The Hartford Courant}}
= Tax increases =
Under Cantors watch taxes in West Hartford have increased by 3 percent in FY 2023 budget,{{cite web |url=https://we-ha.com/proposed-west-hartford-fy23-budget-increases-spending-3-but-decreases-mill-rate/|title=Proposed West Hartford FY23 Budget Increases Spending 3%, Decreases Mill Rate|publisher=we-ha.com|accessdate=June 1, 2024}} 1.86 percent in FY 2024 budget,{{cite web |url=https://we-ha.com/west-hartford-town-council-adopts-budget-with-1-86-tax-increase/|title=West Hartford Town Council Adopts Budget with 1.86% Tax Increase|publisher=we-ha.com|accessdate=June 1, 2024}} and 3.49 percent for FY 2025 budget.{{cite web |url=https://we-ha.com/west-hartford-town-council-adopts-budget-with-3-49-tax-increase/|title=West Hartford Town Council Adopts Budget with 3.49% Tax Increase|publisher=we-ha.com|accessdate=June 1, 2024}}
Awards and recognition
She has been on the UConn board of trustees since 2014 and as of May 2019 she was one of two candidates under consideration to replace resigning chairman Thomas E. Kruger. Kruger had named her as his preferred successor over lobbyist and former Connecticut House Speaker Thomas D. Ritter, writing that "it’s time for the University board to be led by a woman.”{{Cite web |url=https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-uconn-trustees-fight-20190412-55dur44bdjdzhjdq3hotu54dvq-story.html |title=Two political veterans — Tom Ritter and Shari Cantor — on short list as next chair of the UConn board of trustees |last=Pazniokas |first=Mark |date=April 12, 2019 |access-date=May 2, 2019 |website=The Hartford Courant}}
- Cantor was inducted into the UConn Hall of Fame in 2018.{{Cite web |url=http://www.jewishledger.com/2018/02/shari-cantor-inducted-uconn-hall-fame/ |title=Shari Cantor inducted into UConn Hall of Fame |last=Newton |first=Ronni |date=February 21, 2018 |access-date=May 2, 2019 |website=CT Jewish Ledger}}
- Cantor was the winner of top honors nationally at the U.S. Conference of Mayors 14th Annual Climate Protection Awards.{{Cite news|date=2020-12-18|title=West Hartford Wins First Place Nationally at 14th Annual Climate Protection Awards - We-Ha {{!}} West Hartford News|language=en-US|work=We-Ha {{!}} West Hartford News|url=https://we-ha.com/west-hartford-wins-first-place-nationally-at-14th-annual-climate-protection-awards/|access-date=2021-10-21}}