Thomas Hutka Appointed Town Manager of Newington, Connecticut

Thomas Hutka was appointed town manager of Newington after an eight-month nationwide search process, succeeding James Krupienski who will return to his previous position of town clerk.

Hutka was born in Olomuncu on 21 April 1947. He was an award-winning Czech musician, composer and pianist.

Early Life and Education

Thomas Hutka was hired by Newington, Connecticut as its new Town Manager in 2023 to replace Justin Holland, having earned both his undergraduate degree and graduate certificate from Princeton University’s Civil Engineering program and an MPA degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government respectively. Prior to this appointment he had served in multiple local governments where he addressed corruption and development pressures within their jurisdictions.

He served as city manager of Port Huron, Michigan; was director of public works in Broward County, Florida; held other positions with Osceola County, Hennepin County and other municipalities; as well as serving on the board of trustees at Grand Valley State University.

Professional Career

Thomas Hutka has over three decades of experience serving public service. Most recently, he served as Director of Public Works in Broward County, Florida – serving a population of over two million residents – but throughout his career has also held positions such as city manager, deputy city manager, commissioner of engineering and construction across cities and counties.

He holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Princeton University; for the Newington position he was rigorously vetted through Randi Frank Consulting who conducted a nationwide search process to locate suitable candidates.

He has held this post since July 2020 and also acts as city manager of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Achievement and Honors

Hutka has held various local government roles, such as city manager in Port Huron, Michigan and public works director in Broward County, Florida. He has extensive experience addressing corruption in local government, development pressures and other aspects of managing municipalities. A professional civil engineer with degrees from Princeton and Harvard Kennedy Schools of Government as well as serving on Grand Valley State University’s board of trustees;

Personal Life

Hutka hails from an established family in the area, including relatives on both sides of his parents. He holds a master of public administration from Harvard University and has published papers about public-private partnerships, downtown marketing and employee relations.

Cinderella featured him as part of their post-hardcore lineup and on four full-length albums; additionally he contributed to experimental emo rock group The Bunny the Bear’s albums as well.

Hutka lives in Broward County, Florida with his wife and three children. He enjoys tennis, golf and volleyball – fanatical Miami Hurricanes fan and St Louis Cardinals supporter; avid scuba diver; enjoys flying drones; as well as being part of Rotary Club of Fort Lauderdale and Broward Center for the Performing Arts Board memberships.