Glassman Appointment Would Signal Lamont Retreat on Economic Development, Affordable Housing.

Governor Ned Lamont would signal he has given up on economic development and affordable housing in Connecticut by appointing Mary Glassman to a new, top position in his office. Glassman’s eight terms as Simsbury’s first selectman were marked most notably by the departure of The Harford from the affluent community.

The Hartford was Simsbury’s largest employer and taxpayer when its 2015 announcement that it would be closing its campus caught the detached incumbent by surprise. The previously undeveloped northern portion of The Hartford site is now home to apartments, an assisted living facility, and 11,000 square feet of commercial space. The site of the demolished buildings remains vacant.

Glassman, who contributed $500 to former Republican John Rowland’s 2002 re-election campaign, served as the head of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM). Executive Director Joseph DeLong this week confessed, “Our organization for years has really focused on local control, making sure that one size did not fit all, and things that, frankly, were probably a hindrance to some of these efforts.” 

A 2019 survey found 4.74% of Simsbury’s housing units were deemed affordable.

Glassman recently deregistered as a lobbyist.