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Six Appointed To New Capital Region Development Authority

By JESSE RIFKIN

July 06, 2012

HARTFORD —— Six people were appointed Thursday to the new Capital Region Development Authority, an organization created in June to revive the Greater Hartford economy.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy appointed Andy F. Bessette, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of the Travelers Cos. Inc.; Suzanne M. Hopgood, president and CEO of the Hopgood Group; David J. Jorgensen, a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney; and Pamela Trotman Reid, president of the University of Saint Joseph.

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra appointed Floyd W. Green III, vice president of community relations and urban marketing for Aetna; and Thomas Deller, the city's director of development services. As mayor, Segarra was automatically a member of the CRDA.

Other previously announced members include East Hartford Mayor Marcia A. Leclerc; Benjamin Barnes, secretary of the state's Office of Policy & Management; James P. Redeker, comissioner of the Department of Transportation; and Catherine Smith, Comissioner of the Department of Economic & Community Development.

A joint appointment from House Speaker Chris Donovan and Senate President Pro Tempore Donald Williams has not yet been announced, nor has a joint appointment from Senate Minority Leader John McKinney and House Minority Leader Larry Cafero. Neither Williams nor Cafero could be reached for comment.

The CRDA's first meeting is scheduled Tuesday, July 17 at the Connecticut Convention Center, 100 Columbus Boulevard, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in room 11.

The agency was created in May with the mission of rejuvenating the economy of the Hartford and surrounding region, notably through management of such attractions as the XL Center, the Connecticut Convention Center, and Rentschler Field.

The organization replaces the Capital City Economic Development Authority, originally formed in 1998 to manage six primary redevelopment initiatives. Unlike its predecessor, the revamped organization expands its scope to Greater Hartford and gives gives the city a greater voice.

As of yet, none of CCEDA's original seven members have been named to the 13-member CRDA.