Mayor Marcia Leclerc has decided to forego re-election this year.
In a letter to the Gazette the mayor looked back at the past decade and said, overall, she was honored to serve the people of East Hartford.

“The upcoming months will require my full attention as we continue to navigate through this pandemic. While I believe something better is always around the corner for East Hartford the time has come for me to pass the torch.

“Looking back and more importantly looking forward, I have reached an important decision. I will not seek and will not accept the nomination of my Party for another term as your Mayor. Given the challenges of the times we live in, it would be unfair to those that elected me to spend one minute distracted from the task of managing this crisis and leading the town to run a campaign,” she wrote.

Leclerc, a Democrat, was sworn into office January 10, 2011 after former mayor Melody Currey was named state Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles by former governor Dannel Malloy. After the first two record snowstorms hit town straining the available resources, testing the limits of the town’s snow plows it was a rough introduction for Leclerc to the mayoralty. But she made the decision in April to seek the 2011 election, introduced by the late William P. Horan, Jr. who then served as vice chair of the Town Council at the time. But before November’s election rolled around East Hartford was hit with a freak winter Halloween snowstorm that snapped branches off trees everywhere in the state, leaving the town in the dark for 8 days and creating a massive cleanup task.

Leclerc acknowledged it has not been easy, but always gave credit to her team of directors. In 11 years that team has changed but during the tough times she rallied them around the mayor’s conference table. This week was no different as 7 plow drivers in the Public Works Highway Division called in sick and the other 12 who came in went home at 3 p.m. at the end of their regular shift rather than work overtime as snow continued to fall, refusing the overtime. It appeared to be a protest over the splitting of drivers on the previous storm in January when half the operators were dismissed and the other half got the OT.

“They relinquished the responsibility for plowing,” said Mayor Leclerc. She called upon the Co-Op of regional public works employees set up as a contingency in the COVID-19 pandemic, and parks employees and even the town’s Health Department Sanitarian, Mike O’Connell pitched in to drive a plow.

“They did a phenomenal job. I’m truly grateful to the Parks department employees and of course Mike. I would have gotten behind a plow if I had to.” The Mayor explained that she did plow the parking lot of Newkirk & Whitney funeral home when it was necessary. “I’m trying everything at least once. That’s been my life’s motto.”

The Mayor also has organized a bi-annual charity ball with proceeds going to local non-profits, such as the East Hartford Interfaith Ministries and the Friends of the Senior Center. But this year the COVID-19 emerngency made that impossible. Leclerc led efforts when she was a member of the Town Council to help start the Friends who relied on the New To You thrift shop’s success to raise over $900,000 to help buy the former Blessed Sacrament Church and to convert it into the town’s new Senior Center, a facility nearly ready to open.

Some projects have not been as successful, but that was not for want of trying. The proposed retail outlet mall seemed like a done deal until the developer balked at paying for a gap in funding, and the proposed casino and entertainment center at the former Showcase Cinemas lost out in its bid to serve the region when the two native American tribes picked an East Windsor site; the project was never built.

Congressman John B. Larson released a statement after Mayor Leclerc’s announcement that she will not be seeking re-election:
“Mayor Marcia Leclerc has selflessly led East Hartford 11 years. I think I speak for many when I say we cannot be more grateful for her service. She has been a true public servant. Mayor Leclerc has led the town through difficult times, including the COVID-19 pandemic with grace. She will be missed as Mayor, but I know she will continue to be an integral part of our community.”

Leclerc, in taking on the job back in 2011 acknowledged the support of her former Town Council colleagues.

“They fully supported my transition to the office of the Mayor and I am grateful of their support, trust, and encouragement,” she stated at the time, Mayor Leclerc has also taken a regional role as an active member of the Capitol Region Development Authority. The organization expanded its footprint as far as Rentschler Field and their involvement helped fund a $8.2 million, four-lane road she oversaw at Rentschler Field, completed on time and on budget even though the outlet mall at the end never flew. The parking lot and entrance to Town Hall were redesigned with new landscaping, and more work is planned thanks to bod approvals from voters, including a rehab of the Wickham Library and ongoing repairs to Veterans Clubhouse, like most town-own buildings suffering from deferred maintenance and in desperate need of upgrades. Perhaps the crowning achievement of the Leclerc administration might well have been the near-total reconstruction, expansion and renovation of the 1889 Raymond Public Library, now closed due to the pandemic but central to the needs of many.

Development, infrastructure, quality of life, and affordability were identified as strategic objectives and issues of the mayor when she took office. And she made it clear that she did not intend to waste time. “Aggressive means are necessary to fill vacant commercial space and to attract investment in new construction,” stated Leclerc in 2011. “East Hartford must become a more competitive place to locate businesses. We need to continue to invest in our infrastructure, make our regulatory offices user friendly, and offer tax incentives to help existing businesses expand and to attract new ones. By employing these strategies, we can foster new development on Rentschler Field as well as the redevelopment of our Downtown, the vacant retail portions of Silver Lane and the other underutilized areas of town.”

Her message still applies in 2021 – perhaps even more so given the impact on the local economy of the pandemic. But plans for redeveloping Silver Lane and the South Meadows area continue to move forward.

She added: “There is much work to be done and I am committed to the job. I believe I have the necessary education, business acumen, temperament, and lifelong community commitment, which makes me uniquely qualified to continue as your Mayor. East Hartford has not been immune to the economic turmoil but we are known to persevere and with a strong voice I state, “Let me set the record straight, East Hartford is Open for Business.”

Democrats have to pick a successor, something likely after the town completes its work on the upcoming budget process. Leclerc did not say what her plans are after November. Before becoming mayor she worked for the CT Association of Realtors Inc. in West Hartford.

Mayor Leclerc’s letter is as follows:

“Dear friends:
“Monday, February 1st, was the sixteenth significant storm event since being sworn in as your Mayor on January 10, 2010. Although the Town is prepared and anticipates winter storms and other weather events we are always challenged by the unanticipated circumstances of manpower and resources. We are a community that is always ready to meet any challenge and our Integrated Emergency Management training has prepared us well to respond nimbly to any event.
“The Covid pandemic has been nearly an eleven-month-long event to date, that has tested the limits of our time, expertise and resources. From the early days of implementing social distancing, to testing and vaccination, just managing this healthcare crisis alone requires fulltime attention. Yet despite the pandemic we must continue the work that will advance this town long into the future including the development of Silver Lane, “Rentschler Field, the town-wide fiber project and Founders Plaza development as well as improvements to our town’s public buildings, parks, trails and riverfront. Since I unpredictably took office as Mayor eleven years ago, I have worked hard to live up to the faith the residents and voters placed in me. This job has been my top priority. I have come to accept that as hard as you work, there are always those that feel you either did not work hard enough or picked the wrong priorities. Yet I remain proud of the Town’s achievements under my leadership and the blueprint which has been developed that lays the groundwork for the evolution and advancement of our community for years to come.
“As the pandemic crisis has deepened, we have managed to ensure that the business of the Town goes forward while maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for town staff and the public.
“The upcoming months will require my full attention as we continue to navigate through this pandemic. While I believe something better is always around the corner for East Hartford the time has come for me to pass the torch.
“Looking back and more importantly looking forward, I have reached an important decision. I will not seek and will not accept the nomination of my Party for another term as your Mayor. Given the challenges of the times we live in, it would be unfair to those that elected me to spend one minute distracted from the task of managing this crisis and leading the town to run a campaign.
“Thank you to the voters and residents of East Hartford. It has been my honor and pleasure to serve as your Mayor for the past eleven years. I remain devoted to your interest and the interest of the town. My life has been enriched by the people and this community and I will continue to proudly serve you until a new Mayor is sworn in.
“With gratitude, Marcia A. Leclerc”