Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez has pleaded not guilty of bribery and other charges and asked a judge for an immediate trial to clear his name.
Perez entered the plea Tuesday in his first court appearance since his arrest last week. He is charged with receiving a bribe, tampering with evidence and conspiring to tamper with evidence.
Perez's attorney, Hubert Santos, says Perez is "prepared to go to trial today." Perez is due back in court March 3.
Perez is accused of hiring a city contractor to do $40,000 worth of renovations to his home and not paying for it until he was confronted by investigators in 2007.
He says he has no plans to step down as mayor.
