Image Michael Cantor Shari Cantor is a CPA and the mayor of West Hartford, leading one of the wealthiest and most in-demand towns in Greater Hartford. She’s spent much of the last year dealing with fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and helped launch a successful outdoor dining scene in West Hartford Center last summer that not only helped restaurants survive but thrive. Michael Cantor is co-managing partner of Hartford intellectual property law firm Cantor Colburn LLP, and board chair of Connecticut Innovations, the state's quasi-public venture capital arm. As public and private actors in the state work toward boosting entrepreneurship in Connecticut, Cantor has become a central player bringing both worlds together. He’s also a major Hartford cheerleader.