On June 6, 2026, the UConn School of Public Policy (SPP) hosted the inaugural Undergraduate Local Government Case Competition in partnership with the Connecticut Town & City Management Association (CTMCA). Intended to get students excited about careers in local government, the competition included four teams of undergraduate students from UConn and nearby universities. The winning team was “Energy Electors,” made up of UConn Political Science students: Aliyah Aquino, Grace DiTunno, Quinn Geier, and William Jeong. Each member of the winning team was awarded a registration to attend this year's Connecticut Conference of Municipalities Annual Convention.

Judges for the competition included well-regarded municipal public service leaders: Pheobe Ploof, Program Officer, Local Initiatives Support Corporation Connecticut; Raymond Carpentino, Rocky Hill Town Manager; Lisa P. Lazarus, West Hartford Town Councilor and HR Professional; Jeff Hallin, former Hartford Assistant Director of Management and Budget; and Christina Norman, Human Resources Manager, City of Danbury. The case study featured an affordable housing project proposal. Each team needed to complete a SWOT (strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats) analysis, analyze stakeholder relationships and policy ramifications, and make policy recommendations.

Participants also had opportunities to hear a keynote address from East Hartford Mayor Connor Martin, and from four outstanding local government panelists: Wendy G Mackstutis, First Selectperson of Simsbury; Jon Trister, Mayor of Newington; Peter Souza, Town Manager of Windsor; and Christina Norman.

The event was a great success thanks to our amazing judges, panelists and student participants. UConn SPP plans to schedule the second annual event in 2027. Watch for further information from SPP posted on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.