Town Council Minority Leader To Seek Reelection

Denise Berard Hall announced Tuesday that she plans to run for reelection to the West Hartford Town Council this November, and she hopes to receive endorsement from the Republican Town Committee on Monday night.

Hall was first elected in 2009, and has served as minority leader for both of the terms she has been in office. "I very much enjoy the work of being a Town Councilor, and I believe that my background in municipal finance, banking, and the securities industry brings a helpful perspective to the Town," said Hall, who is a senior vice president at Webster Bank, in a news release.  

Hall believes that many of West Hartford's major challenges are financial in nature, and throughout her tenure she has been particularly concerned with pension and health care liabilities as well as the budgeting process.

Hall said she thought long and hard about running again, and it was a somewhat tough decision because of the time the position commands – not just attending council meetings, but all of the committee meetings and other behind-the-scenes commitments. "If I'm going to be on the Town Council, I'm going to do it the right way," she said.

Hall and her husband Tom now have five grandchildren, ranging in age from 5 years old to to 3 weeks old, and she would love to spend more time with them. But several major union contracts are currently up for negotiation for the first time in years, and Hall said she would like to be part of the process. "Since this has been my focus, now is not the time to leave," she said. 

"We need to keep moving toward contract terms that will help us be more sustainable," Hall said, with greater contributions on the part of employees as well as moving toward hybrid retirement plans that combine defined benefit with defined contribution elements, rather than just defined benefit plans.

"I decided I would run again because I want to do what I can to get these contracts to a place where they are more affordable to residents, because it's their taxes paying for it," she said.

There are also some major development projects on the horizon, including the hotel and development of the Sisters of St. Joseph property, and Hall is excited about being part of those plans.

Hall is a 1978 graduate of Conard High School, has a B.A. from the University of Connecticut, and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  She is an associate member of the Connecticut Government Finance Officers Association.