Ben Wenograd
Deputy Mayor
Ben Wenograd has served on the Town Council since 2015. He was elected Deputy Mayor in 2023.
A graduate of Wesleyan University and Northeastern Law, as well as Duffy, Sedgwick, and Conard, Wenograd works for the American Federation of Teachers representing primarily healthcare workers and public school educators. During the COVID crisis, he has worked to ensure that the nurses, teachers, paraprofessional educators and other heroic workers were provided the personal protective equipment they needed to keep themselves safe, while providing essential services to the public.
A lifelong progressive activist, Wenograd negotiated one of Connecticut’s first union contracts to include domestic partnership benefits for Gay and Lesbian couples, helped defend health clinics from protesters while in law school, and stood with Stop & Shop workers when they went on strike in 2019. As a Council member, Wenograd successfully worked to expand affordable housing options and make aging in place more affordable by allowing Accessory Dwelling Units and joined with Desegregate Connecticut to pass statewide legislation.
An avid bicyclist and environmentalist Ben has worked hard to increase bike and pedestrian safety in town by expanding the number of bike lanes and crosswalks and supporting traffic calming initiatives, as well as supporting the goal of making West Hartford a carbon neutral community. During campaign season, he is known for riding his bike from house to house and uses a reel mower (human powered) on his lawn.
Ben is a member and former Executive Board Member of Congregation Beth Israel. He lives with his wife, Shannon and his daughter, Sasha, a senior at the University of Maryland. His mother, Marlene, lives at Chatfield and his mother-in-law, also named Marlene, lives in Elmwood.