The West Hartford Town Council will be majority female for the first time ever once McGinnnis is sworn in.

By Ronni Newton

Tiffani McGinnis, currently the vice chair of West Hartford’s Democratic Town Committee, has been tapped to fill the vacancy on the Town Council that will be created on Feb. 28, 2023, when longtime Councilor Leon Davidoff’s resignation takes effect.

“The Town Council has decided to appoint Tiffani McGinnis to the open Town Council seat,” West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said in a message to the Democratic Town Committee this week.

“Tiffani is a hard working, committed, and dedicated volunteer and is looking forward to this opportunity. We look forward to having her join the team as we govern through the budget and our busy agendas. And this will be the first time in the town’s history that there will be a majority of women serving on the Town Council,” Cantor added.

The vacancy will be created through a domino effect of other role changes, beginning with the Town Council accepting the resignation letter of Town Clerk Essie Labrot at its Jan. 24, 2023 meeting. Labrot has served in that role since 2007, and will be retiring. While the position is up for election in November 2023, leaving at this time will provide her the opportunity for training and a smooth transition. Labrot will serve until April 7.

Also on Jan. 24, the Town Council announced the appointment of Davidoff to Labrot’s remaining term as town clerk, which runs through Jan. 1, 2024. While he will not officially become town clerk until April, Davidoff planned his resignation from the Town Council to be effective Feb. 28, however, to allow his successor to be involved with the FY2024 budget process from the onset.

McGinnis is originally from Nashville, TN, and relocated to Connecticut from Chapel Hill, NC. She has a degree in health care administration and planning from Tennessee State University and has worked for corporations as well as nonprofits, and has also owned a small business.

McGinnis also has an extensive background in public service, and said she has volunteered for political campaigns since 2004. She has managed multiple campaigns since moving to Connecticut, and was a volunteer leader for Moms Demand Action in 2018.

“West Hartford has been a wonderful place to live,” McGinnis said. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to serve the residents of West Hartford and I look forward to getting to work.”

McGinnis and her husband, Matthew, live in West Hartford with their dog, Quinn. They have three children, ages 29, 26, and 19. The youngest son is a freshman at UConn, and previously attended King Philip Middle School and is a graduate of Northwest Catholic High School.

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