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Friend of the Industry - Speaker of the House Matt Ritter
Representative of the 1st House District Representative Matt Ritter, a lifelong Hartford resident, is Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives.
He was first elected in 2010 to the Connecticut General Assembly where he represents the 1st Assembly District in Hartford.
As Speaker of the House, Matt led passage of the Community Investment Fund 2030 (CIF), designed to spur economic development in underserved communities. CIF recently dedicated more than $1.2 million to remediate, renovate and return the vacant Comet Diner in Hartford to be a full-service neighborhood restaurant.
Since 2016, Matt has organized Hartford Day at the State Capitol to showcase Hartford’s arts, culture and, especially, restaurants.
Over the past two years, Matt ensured the state budget paid special attention to Connecticut’s tourism, art, and restaurant industries who faced significant challenges brought on by the pandemic.
Prior to being elected to the General Assembly, Matt served on the Hartford City Council for three years where he chaired the Planning & Economic Development and Legislative Affairs committees.
Matt graduated from Colby College with a major in Government and received his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law graduating with honors in 2007.
Matt is a practicing attorney in Hartford and resides in Hartford with his wife, Marilyn Katz, their two children Jack and Emma, and their Goldendoodles, Dublin and Finnegan.