Burgett has led the city’s Human Resources department since 1998, through bitter conflict over fire and police department hiring and promotional practices, and through citywide layoffs in 2003.

Stratford Mayor James R. Miron announced Burgett’s hiring in a prepared statement last week. She begins there Jan. 22, and will earn an annual salary of $85,750.

She earns $89,571 a year in New Haven.

“She really wanted a less overwhelming pace,” said New Haven spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga.

Burgett was unavailable for comment Wednesday due to a family emergency.

While Burgett’s title will remain unchanged at her new position, she will spend more time on employee training and less on civil service, a politically charged issue during Burgett’s time in New Haven.

“Ms. Burgett’s decade of experience as the director of human resources for the city of New Haven, the third largest city in the state of Connecticut, will benefit all our employees and the town of Stratford,” Miron said in his statement.

“I am confident that her background in human resource functions, and experience in development strategic workforce plans and affirmative action policies will help me enhance the workplace experience for our employees and provide an increased value in services to our taxpayers,” Miron said.

But while Stratford may be awaiting Burgett’s arrival, some in New Haven are not sorry about her departure.

“Hallelujah,” said fire union President Patrick Egan. “We wanted her gone. We’re glad she’s gone.”

“...The best thing she could do for the civil service system in New Haven is not be a part of it,” Egan said.

The city’s hiring practices have come under repeated legal scrutiny during the past several years, facing legal challenges from police officers and firefighters. In 2006, the city revamped its long-held pass/fail exams and now ranks candidates, although distrust has yet to entirely dissipate.

Egan blamed Burgett for years of still unresolved acrimony over hiring and promotional practices at the Fire Department, triggered by a scrapped promotional exam in late 2003.

The city tested fire captain and lieutenant candidates, but jettisoned the results when too few minority firefighters would have been promoted. City officials claimed verifying the results would have opened the city to liability.

New Haven attorney Karen Torre, who has represented several police officers, and a group of 20 firefighters in claims against the city involving its civil service exams, said, “I always saw Tina’s role as carrying out the mayor’s political agenda.” Mayorga said the city disagreed with both Egan and Torre’s characterizations of Burgett’s tenure, and that Burgett was “not scared away by any of these incidents.”

“Tina Burgett did an excellent job in her role as human resources director in nearly 10 years in the city. We value her contributions and wish her the best in her new endeavors in Stratford,” Mayorga said.

As of Wednesday, Burgett had verbally relayed her resignation to her supervisor, city Chief Administrative Officer Robert Smuts, and was expected to submit her intentions in writing shortly, according to Mayorga.

Burgett had been the director of systems, administration, children and family services for Lockheed Martin before returning to public service in 1998. She also had served as the city’s homeless facilities development planner from 1989 to 1991, before going to work for the state Department of Social Services. From 1985-89, she was the executive director of Community Mediation, a New Haven nonprofit group.

Burgett completed her undergraduate work at the University of Oklahoma, and also holds a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University.

Elizabeth Benton can be reached at 789-5714 or at ebenton@nhregister.com.