Bronin, in a telephone interview, said: “First of all, there are thousands of people who contributed to my campaign in 2015 ... and I hope thousands of people contribute to my campaign [for re-election] this year. ... Nobody who contributed to my campaign has gotten special treatment.” He added: “Four years ago, there was no reason to think that my administration would have an opportunity to redevelop Dillon or bring a soccer team to Hartford.” Bronin said he thinks that the CRDA, which conducted the selection process in late 2017 and recommended Mandell and HSG to the council, “made the right recommendation” because HSG “had the credibility” and financial wherewithal, while he believes “the others didn’t offer a whole lot. ... Hartford has an opportunity to get an historic stadium rebuilt as a community asset and to bring professional soccer to Hartford, and my goal is making sure that we don’t lose that opportunity for Hartford.”