Council 4 of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) — one of the state’s largest labor unions — has quietly hired Hartford City Council Assistant Majority Leader Thomas “TJ” Clarke II as its new Chief of Staff, despite his history of sexual harassment allegations and a costly legal settlement tied to his actions while in office.
In 2020, the Hartford City Council voted unanimously to pay $140,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by former council aide Kristen Squillante, who accused Clarke — then serving as City Council President — of sending inappropriate text messages about her appearance and sex life. Her complaint was filed in December 2017 with the state’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO).
The payout came after a yearslong legal battle, during which Clarke remained a prominent figure in city politics, appearing alongside the mayor at events and securing re-election to the council. While she admitted she didn’t formally report Clarke to human resources, Squillante pointed to the “significant power imbalance” as the reason she felt unable to confront him.
Moreover, the complaint came just two months after the #MeToo movement — an international campaign encouraging victims to expose sexual harassment and abuse — went viral.
The 57-page CHRO report included text messages as evidence including one where Clarke asked, “Wearing bikini emoji or no?” Squillante responded instead by calling out Clarke’s behavior, stating, “The bumping into me by accident is obviously being done because you want to touch me.”
Clarkes messages didn’t stop there. In another text he wrote, “OK Smart Ass! Have fun on your trip. Don’t slip up and send me any see thru bikini pics,” adding that her boyfriend “will kill you lol.”
The unprofessional exchanges continued. When Squillante texted Clarke one morning asking for scheduling information, he replied, “Am I the first person you think about in the morning?” followed by three laughing emojis.
Additionally, in response to a work-related question from Squillante about how to pay for something, Clarke replied, “With your good looks.”
During a deposition, Clarke admitted that several of his text messages were inappropriate for someone in his position, including one that caused the city’s attorney, Lisa Lazarek, to laugh during the proceedings. Lazarek apologized for her reaction, stating, “That’s a bad one [text]. Everybody in this room would agree that that’s not appropriate.”
A letter signed by eight members of the city council called for Clarke to resign his leadership role and step down from the Council for “the best interest of the city and public trust.”
At the time, Working Families Party City Councilman Dr. Larry Deutsch weighed in, stating, “In many circumstances, you think someone should have a fair trial or give his or her point of view, but in this case, several of us felt that the evidence was insulting to — especially women — but the city as a whole that a public official should have sent such messages.”
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin strongly condemned Clarke’s behavior, calling it “inexcusable” and stating that it disqualified him from leadership. “Based on the text messages included in this complaint, I do not believe that Council President Clarke can continue to serve in a position of leadership in the City of Hartford,” he said.
This wasn’t the first time Clarke was accused of inappropriate behavior. In 2013 he was reprimanded for touching a woman while on the job. The woman reported that he “poked” her at a budget meeting. As a result, he was handed a copy of the city’s sexual harassment policy, given a lecture on inappropriate touching, and told to cut it out.
The accuser ultimately chose not to file a formal complaint, citing that his behavior had stopped.
In a 2017 statement to NBC Connecticut, Clarke apologized for his behavior, saying he looked “forward to a full transparent exploration of this issue” and pledged his “full cooperation.” However, he deflected blame by questioning the timing of the complaint, calling it “suspicious” and hinting at a conspiracy, claiming he was “concerned that there may be political agendas at work.”
Clarke was eventually ousted as Hartford City Council president in 2018 in an 8-1 vote following the allegations. However, he still remains a council member.
A job posting on Salary.com describes Clarke’s new position at AFSCME as responsible for overseeing Council 4’s day-to-day operations, supervising staff across all levels and departments and acting as an agent of the Council under the Executive Director’s direction. The position carries a salary range of $106,855 to $125,000 per year.
According to Clarke’s LinkedIn profile, he stepped into his new role sometime in November.
