Colangelo Recruits Former Hartford State's Attorney to Lead Diversity Efforts
On the same day the state's Criminal Justice Commission was going to vote on her reappointment as Hartford State's Attorney, Gail Hardy accepted a position Monday doing outreach work for the Office of Chief State's Attorney.
June 30, 2020 at 06:49 PM
4 minute read
Under fire for her role in four police-involved shootings as Hartford State's Attorney, Gail Hardy has been tapped to lead the diversity and inclusion efforts as an executive assistant state's attorney in the Office of Chief State's Attorney.
Hardy, who will report to Chief State's Attorney Richard Colangelo Jr., was nearing the end of her reappointment hearing for another term as Hartford State's Attorney in front of the Criminal Justice Commission when she faxed over her acceptance of the new job offer at 1:03 p.m, on Monday to Colangelo.
Colangelo said he offered Hardy the position Monday morning. Colangelo informed the commissioners of Hardy's decision to say yes to the offer while they were in executive session on her reappointment soon after he received the fax.
Hardy will stay on as Hartford State's Attorney until a replacement is named, upon which time she will begin in her new role working for Colangelo.
The commission took the unprecedented step of suspending Hardy without pay for four days on June 18 for her role in the handling of those police-involved shootings. At the time, commission chairman and Associate Supreme Court Justice Andrew McDonald said, according to the state's NBC affiliate, that there was a "serious dereliction in duty for her inexcusable delay in submitting these reports."
Despite the controversy, Colangelo said Tuesday afternoon he felt Hardy, who has been Hartford State's Attorney for 13 years, was the best person for the new role at his office.
"As any prosecutor in Connecticut, we will make decisions people do not agree with," Colangelo said. "That is the nature of the job. One of the best things about this country is we have the ability to voice displeasure in something we don't agree with. If you look at the public comments from the reappointment hearing, there were a lot of comments that were positive about Gail in how she provided outreach to all parts of the community."
Colangelo, who said he's known Hardy for about 20 years, said she'll do outreach for the office.
"It's one of the biggest projects I am working on," Colangelo said.
Hardy's task, Colangelo said, will bring together leaders from education, the faith community, social services and those representing the youth. The group will meet monthly and Hardy will organize and run the meetings, said Colangelo, who noted he plans on attending every meeting.
A focus on youth is important for the office, Colangelo said.
"I am the father of four kids," Colangelo said. "Youth are so important and we want to make sure they have a voice and that they know their voice is being heard by us."
The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut was one of the loudest voices in asking that Hardy not be reappointed.
On Tuesday, Melvin Medina, public policy and advocacy director for the ACLU of Connecticut, called the sequence of events regarding Hardy "strangely timed."
"This seems to me as an example of prosecutors being shielded by their own from public scrutiny," Medina said. "In the wee hours of a vote, there is this phantom position that arises for her to step into. It's just another example of the status quo."
Hardy did not respond to a request for comment for this report.
Related stories:
Amid Controversy, Connecticut's First Black State's Attorney Leaves Office
Hartford State's Attorney Suspended for 4 Days Over Handling of Police-Involved Shootings
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