Former Hartford City Treasurer Carmen Sierra on Friday denied wrongdoing and said she did not shred any documents when she returned to city property unannounced earlier this week, only to be escorted away by police.
Sierra, who retired abruptly late Monday after nearly four years in office, held a press conference in front of Hartford City Hall on Friday. Social media rumors had swirled online during the week, claiming she had come to city property Wednesday and destroyed documents in her former office. Police responded Wednesday to ensure city property was secure.
Sierra said she had returned both Tuesday and Wednesday to assist with the transition, meet with staff and remove her personal property from the premises. She said she’d stated in her retirement letter that she would help with the transition.
“My purpose was to support my staff and to help ensure the transition was completed in a professional and orderly manner,” Sierra said. “The administration never contacted me or at any point prohibited me from entering the office, and the city never engaged in any exit interviews to collect their property. I did not shred any documents.”
Sierra’s attorney, Cynthia Jennings, also suggested that the police being called was the result of discrimination. Sierra is the first Latina woman to be elected to the Hartford office.
“When you talk about discrimination, it only means two words: different treatment. Carmen was treated differently in every respect of her retirement,” Jennings said. She added that she and Sierra are investigating the incident, although they have not filed a lawsuit. Asked why Sierra wouldn’t offer a week or two notice of her retirement, then leave the job after a transition, Jennings said that wasn’t written policy.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam confirmed earlier this week that Sierra accessed her former office without approval from city officials.
“As the mayor said yesterday, it is inappropriate for any former elected official to access secure city facilities without notice after vacating their position,” spokesman Cristian Corza-Godniez said in a written statement. “While we navigate this sudden transition, the mayor remains steadfast in his commitment to ensuring transparency in the management of our city’s pension dollars as the office moves forward.”
Jennings also said that Sierra had been treated like a “common criminal,” although she wasn’t aware of any criminal investigations into Sierra’s actions.
Sierra’s retirement comes at a time of heightened public scrutiny of her work.
For the past several months, former members of the city’s pension commission have issued public complaints about Sierra’s office. The treasurer and commission oversee the $1.1 billion retirement system for more than 2,000 active city employees and roughly 3,400 retirees.
The pension commissioners, including former state treasurer and Hartford City Councilman Shawn Wooden, wrote letters warning of unspecified “fiduciary and ethical concerns” with Sierra’s leadership.
Sierra cited her mother’s recent death and father’s declining health as her reason for retirement. Jennings also pointed to growth in the pension fund as evidence she’d done good work.
“As I close this chapter, I do so with gratitude for the trust of the people placed in me,” Sierra said. “Serving as your city treasurer has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and I will always be proud of the work that we have accomplished together.”
CT Mirror reporter Andrew Brown contributed to this story.
This story was originally published by the Connecticut Mirror.
