Arunan Arulampalam | |
|---|---|
 Arulampalam in 2025 | |
| Mayor of Hartford | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Luke Bronin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 15,1985 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Liza Butler |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Emory University (BA) Quinnipiac University (JD) |
Arunan Arulampalam (born September 15,1985) is an American politician who is the Mayor of Hartford,Connecticut. A member of the Democratic Party,Arulampalam won the November 2023 election for mayor and was sworn in on January 1,2024.
Arulampalam is from a Sri Lankan Tamil family from Jaffna. His parents fled Sri Lanka in July 1983,during Black July at the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War. [1] [2] They moved to England,where they married,and settled in Zimbabwe. Arulampalam was born in Bulawayo in 1985. [1] [3] The family relocated to California.[ when? ] Arulampalam earned his bachelor's degree from Emory University and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Quinnipiac University School of Law. [3]
In 2014,Arulampalam joined the law firm Updike,Kelly &Spellacy [4] and was an associate with the firm for five years. [3] Governor Ned Lamont appointed Arulampalam to be a deputy commissioner in the Department of Consumer Protection. In July 2021,he became the chief executive officer of the Hartford Land Bank,a non-profit aiming to reduce urban blight. [3] [5]
In October 2017,Arulampalam announced that he was exploring a run for Connecticut State Treasurer,as long as the incumbent,Denise Nappier,opted not to run for reelection. [6] He received enough support at the Connecticut Democratic Party convention to qualify for the primary election ballot,but ended his campaign in May 2018,citing his desire to avoid a divisive campaign. [7] [8]
In January 2023,Arulampalam announced his candidacy in the November election for mayor of Hartford. [9] He won the party's endorsement at their nominating convention. [10] Arulampalam defeated state senator John Fonfara and former state senator Eric Coleman in the Democratic Party primary election in September, [11] receiving 39.6% of the vote. [12] He won the November general election with 69% of the vote [13] and was sworn into office on January 1,2024. [14]
Arulampalam and his wife,Liza,have five children and live in a formerly blighted house in Hartford's Frog Hollow. [15] [16] He is a naturalized U.S. citizen. [17]
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