Leng Appoints Former Mayor Scott D. Jackson As Town Finance Director In Hamden

Press release from the Town of Hamden:

January 28, 2021

HAMDEN – Mayor Curt Balzano Leng is very pleased to announce the hiring and appointment of Mr. Scott D. Jackson, former Mayor of Hamden, who has also served over the last twenty years in key local and State government leadership roles, as Hamden’s Finance Director. Mr. Eatman, the current Finance Director, will move his focus to serve as the Acting Economic Development Director, as well as providing for a mutually helpful transition for these cornerstone Town roles. Mayoral appointments are submitted to the Hamden Legislative Council for their review and approval, per the Hamden Town Charter.

Mr. Jackson, Mayor of Hamden from 2009-2015, returns to Hamden as Finance Director with an exceptionally refined set of leadership, management, organizational and financial skills. Mostly recently, Mr. Jackson served the City of New Haven as Chief Administrative Officer to Mayor Justin Elicker, and prior to that role served as the State Commissioner for the Department of Revenue Services from 2018-2020, State Commissioner for the Department of Labor from 2016-2018, and as the Undersecretary of Intergovernmental Policy in the State Office of Policy and Management from 2015-2016. In these State roles, Mr. Jackson was instrumental in steering the State of Connecticut’s efforts to enhance internet-based sales tax collections, modernizing the State’s unemployment insurance infrastructure, coordinating a variety of major State grant programs and urban redevelopment projects and had extensive interaction with municipalities throughout Connecticut.

Earlier in his career and prior to serving as Mayor of Hamden, Mr. Jackson served in various roles for the Office of Senator Joseph Lieberman throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, as a Project Manager for the Connecticut Policy and Economic Council from 2001-2003, as Hamden’s Community Development Manager from 2004-2005 and as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) from 2005-2009. Mr. Jackson was a Yale University Mellon Foundation Summer Research Fellow in 1991, and received his Bachelor of Arts in Government from Cornell University in 1993.

Commenting on the appointment of Mr. Jackson, Mayor Curt Balzano Leng remarked, “This is without question the right move, at the right time, to strengthen our Town government and finances. Scott Jackson returns to Hamden with a wealth of knowledge about municipal and State finance and government, and an enormous amount of experience interacting, negotiating, and cooperating with local, Federal, and State financial, non-profit and service agencies. As we are working very hard to address challenges, both unique to Hamden and shared by so many communities during truly unprecedented times, we are ensuring that Hamden enters 2021 with the best tools possible to most effectively fight for our taxpayers. I know Scott as a leader, as a family man, and as a lifelong Hamdenite ready to enter this position with a fire in his belly, because he cares about our Town, and ready to work from day one to help ensure our community’s success, fiscal stability and security.”

Mr. Eatman, the Town’s current Finance Director, will transition to the role of Acting Economic Development Director. Mr. Eatman has served the Town in the role of Finance Director during unprecedented times, with major challenges posed by the pandemic and budget, with professionalism and commitment. In addition to his efforts as Acting Economic Development Director, he will be able to assist in the completion of projects as needed and ensure a proper transition, something always beneficial and which demonstrates stability for local governments.

Mr. Eatman, an accomplished fiscal analyst and former Deputy Commissioner of Finance for Schenectady, NY (2016-2019), served as Hamden’s Director of Finance for the year 2020. Mr. Eatman received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communication & Rhetorical Studies from Syracuse University in 2009, and further went on to receive a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse in 2011. Mr. Eatman previously served as a Senior Legislative Fiscal Analyst for the New York State Assembly, Ways and Means Committee (2013-2016) and as the Principal Legislative Fiscal Analyst for the New York State Senate (2019).

Commenting on Mr. Eatman’s transition to Economic Development Director, Mayor Leng said, “Mr. Eatman’s service as Finance Director was valuable and he served consistently with integrity and commitment. I thank him wholeheartedly for his service in this role over the past year. This somewhat unique senior staffing change allows Hamden the opportunity to put the proper chess pieces in the best spots on the board for success. These changes strengthen our ability to address challenges we face in these uncertain times,” said Leng. “I have every confidence that Mr. Eatman will excel in his new role and attack it with the knowledge and commitment he has clearly demonstrated."

This press release was produced by the Town of Hamden. The views expressed here are the author's own.