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September 4, 2024

Former Hartford mayor and his wife, former zoning commission chair, plan to divorce

Sara C. Bronin and Luke Bronin
By Andrew Larson

A prominent power couple in Connecticut’s political and academic circles, Luke and Sara Bronin, announced in a message emailed to friends Sunday evening that they intend to divorce.

In the email, the Bronins said they are “planning to separate and to begin moving toward a divorce, in a collaborative, loving, mutually supportive process.”

“We have known each other for more than half our lives, we have been together for more than 20 years and we have been married for 17 years,” they wrote. “We love and care deeply about each other, remain each other’s best friend, and most of all, we love and are grateful beyond measure for the three incredible children we share together.”

The news broke Monday in the Capitol Report newsletter authored by Michael Cerulli, a political reporter at News 8.

Luke Bronin served two terms as Hartford’s mayor, from 2016 to 2023. He explored a run for governor in 2018 and has indicated he has future political ambitions. 

Luke Bronin is currently a visiting lecturer in law and Tsai Leadership Senior Distinguished Fellow in Residence at Yale School of Law.

He is a Rhodes Scholar and Yale Law School graduate who previously served as general counsel to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and held senior posts in the U.S. Treasury Department under the Obama administration. 

In the private sector, he was a partner at law firm Hinckley Allen and served as chief of staff to the president of insurance company The Hartford's property and casualty division.

Sara Bronin, also a Rhodes Scholar and Yale Law School alumnus, has established herself as an expert on historic preservation law and land use. She chaired the Hartford Planning and Zoning Commission for nearly seven years and overhauled local zoning codes. 

In 2021, Sara Bronin was nominated by President Joe Biden, and later confirmed by the U.S. Senate, to serve as the chair of the U.S. Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, a position she currently holds. The council advises the president and Congress on decisions and policies that promote the preservation and enhancement of national historic resources.

She is a professor at the Cornell School of Art, Architecture and Planning, but is on leave for the duration of her federal service.

She founded Desegregate Connecticut, which advanced statewide zoning reforms, and co-authored a study that found a link between restrictive zoning and segregation.

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