Alexandra Kasser

Last updated
Seth Bergstein
​
​
(m. 1995;div. 2021)​
Alex Kasser
Member of the Connecticut State Senate
from the 36th district
In office
January 9, 2019 –June 22, 2021
Domestic partnerNichola Samponaro (since 2021)
Education Wesleyan University (BA)
University of Chicago (JD)
Yale University (MA)
OccupationPolitician, attorney, advocate

Alexandra Veronica Kasser Mochary (born May 4, 1967) is an American politician, attorney and advocate who served as a member of the Connecticut State Senate for the 36th district from 2019 to 2021. Connecticut's 36th district covers Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan. She is a member of the Democratic Party and was the first Democrat to be elected to this seat since 1933. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Kasser was born Alexandra Veronica Mochary on May 4, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois, the first of two children of Mary Mochary (née Kasser; b. 1942), an attorney and former mayor of Montclair, New Jersey and Republican nominee for United States Senate in 1984, and Stephen E. Mochary (1940-2001), an attorney and federal judge. [3] Her younger brother is Matt Mochary. Her maternal grandparents immigrated to the United States at the end of World War II originally being from Hungary.

Kasser received her bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University in 1988. In 1993, she received a Juris Doctor from University of Chicago Law School a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from Yale University in 2014. In that same year, Kasser became a candidate for a PhD at Yale University. [4]

Career

Kasser practiced corporate law at the firm of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom. [5]

In the 2018 election, Kasser, a political newcomer, defeated five-term Republican incumbent, Scott Frantz, becoming the first Democrat to represent Greenwich in the State Senate since 1930, [5] and the first Democrat to win the 36th Senate district since 1933. [2] Kasser won by about 600 votes. [6] In 2020, Kasser won re-election by a margin of about 1,100 votes. [7]

Kasser's committee assignments included Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Chair of the Banking Committee, Vice Chair of the Transportation Committee, and membership on the Environment Committee, Public Health Committee, Legislative Regulation and Review Committee and the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee. She was also a Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate. [8] [ better source needed ]

In the State Senate, Kasser led a failed effort to re-install tolls on Connecticut's state highways, [9] and create an Infrastructure Bank in Connecticut. [10] Kasser introduced a bill providing tax credits to employers who make payments on employee's student loans. [11] An amended version of the bill was passed in the State Senate in May 2019, [11] and signed into law by governor Ned Lamont the following month. [12]

Kasser was a proponent Paid Family Medical Leave, [13] [ better source needed ] a living wage,[ citation needed ][ clarification needed ] and eliminating the state’s estate tax.[ citation needed ]

In 2021, Kasser introduced Jennifers’ Law, which legally redefines domestic violence to include coercive control. [14] The law includes multiple protections for victims of domestic violence and their children, including the ability to access free legal help, change locks in rental units and apply for restraining orders if they’ve experienced coercive control. In a section that addresses custody matters, the law adds “physical and emotional safety of the child” as the first factor to be considered by judges and Guardian Ad Litems. They must also consider “the effect on the child of the actions of an abuser if any domestic violence, as defined in 46b1 (which now includes coercive control) has occurred between the parents." Jennifers’ Law is named in honor of Jennifer Dulos, a New Canaan woman living in Kasser's district, who disappeared after a dispute with her husband, Fotis Dulos, and Jennifer Magnano, who was shot and killed by her husband in front of her children. [14] [15] [16]

Divorce and resignation

On June 22, 2021, Kasser announced her resignation from public office, saying that her ability to do her job was impeded by ongoing divorce litigation with Seth Bergstein. [17] [18]

She was succeeded by Republican Ryan Fazio. [19]

Personal life

After filing for divorce, Kasser began dating her current partner, Nichola Samponaro, a political consultant and Realtor who grew up in Greenwich, CT. Samponaro volunteered as Kasser’s 2018 and 2020 campaign manager and briefly worked as her Chief of Staff in 2018. [20]

Non-profit involvement

From 2012-2016 Kasser was Chairman of the Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health Center board, an organization dedicated to advancing research on the environmental and epigenetic causes of children’s diseases including cancer. Kasser is the founder of The Parity Partnership, a non-profit dedicated to advancing gender equality in the public and private sectors. She was also Chairman of Greenwich Community Gardens and has served on various boards dedicated to helping children, such as Kids in Crisis. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ned Lamont</span> Governor of Connecticut since 2019

Edward Miner Lamont Jr. is an American businessman and politician serving since January 2019 as the 89th governor of Connecticut. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a Greenwich selectman from 1987 to 1989 and was the party's nominee for the United States Senate in 2006, losing to incumbent Joe Lieberman.

The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of Connecticut:

Antonietta "Toni" Boucher is an American politician and former member of the Connecticut State Senate representing the 26th District and previously served in the Connecticut House of Representatives representing the 143rd District.

Dan Debicella is a former State Senator and businessman, who represented the 21st district in the Connecticut State Senate. He was also the 2010 and 2014 Republican candidate for Connecticut's Fourth Congressional District.

L. Scott Frantz is an American businessman and politician. He is a former member of the Connecticut State Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom O'Dea</span> American politician

Thomas Patrick O'Dea is an American attorney and representative in the Connecticut House of Representatives representing the 125th District, encompassing parts of Wilton and New Canaan. He is a member of the Republican Party and the House Republican Caucus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Haskell</span> American politician (born 1996)

William Haskell is an American politician and a former member of the Connecticut State Senate, representing District 26 from 2019 to 2023. The district includes the towns of Redding, Ridgefield, Wilton, and parts of Bethel, Weston, Westport, and New Canaan. The 26th District has not been represented by another Democrat since 1973. Haskell is a member of the Democratic Party, and was a member of the State Senate Democratic Caucus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Jennifer Dulos</span> 2019 murder in U.S. state of Connecticut

Jennifer Dulos was an American woman who went missing on May 24, 2019. Authorities believe that she was killed in an attack at her home in New Canaan, Connecticut, United States. Her ex-husband, Fotis Dulos, and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, were arrested on charges of tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution in connection with Jennifer's disappearance. Later, the two – along with Fotis's attorney Kent Mawhinney – faced additional charges related to Jennifer's murder.

Claudia "Dolly" Powers is an American politician who served in the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 151st district between 1993 and 2009. Powers began her tenure in the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1993 from the Republican party, having beaten Democrat Elaine Markley Schuman with 65 percent of the vote for the 151st district in Greenwich. After that, she was re-elected seven times, leaving in January 2009 with the election of Republican Fred Camillo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut</span> U.S. House election in Connecticut

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the five U.S. representatives from the state of Connecticut, one from each of the state's five congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2022 U.S. Senate race in Connecticut and the 2022 Connecticut gubernatorial election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, other elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.

Kimberly Song Fiorello is an American politician who served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 149th District, which encompasses parts of Greenwich and Stamford, for the Republican Party from January 6, 2021 to January 4, 2023. Earlier in her political career she served on the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) in Greenwich, from 2017 to 2020. She was part of Connecticut's Conservative Caucus.

Corey Phillip Paris is an American politician serving as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 145th district. Elected in an April 29, 2021 special election, he assumed office on May 4, 2021. He was re-elected to a second term in November 2022.

Jennifers' Law is a law in the U.S. state of Connecticut that expands the definition of domestic violence to include "coercive control". The law is named for two women, both victims of domestic violence: Jennifer Farber Dulos and Jennifer Magnano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Connecticut elections</span> 2021 elections in Connecticut

Various special elections for the Connecticut House of Representatives and Connecticut State Senate were held in the U.S. state of Connecticut on various dates in 2021. Candidates for special elections in Connecticut are nominated through party conventions rather than party primaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Fazio</span> State Senator from Connecticut

Ryan Michael Fazio is an American businessman and politician who is a member of the Connecticut State Senate for the 36th district. A Republican, he won election in 2021 following the resignation of Democratic member Alexandra Kasser.

Connecticut's 36th State Senate district elects one member of the Connecticut State Senate. The district consists of the towns of Greenwich, North Stamford, and portions of Stamford, New Canaan, and Newfield-Westover-Turn of River. It has been represented by Ryan Fazio since 2021.

Florence Donady Finney was an American politician and civic leader who served as the first woman president pro tempore of the Connecticut State Senate from 1973 through 1974. A Republican representing Greenwich, she served in the Connecticut House of Representatives (1949–1955) and the Senate (1955–1976).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Connecticut Senate election</span>

The 2022 Connecticut State Senate election were held on November 8, 2022, as part of the biennial 2022 United States elections. Connecticut voters elected senators in all of the 36 State Senate districts. State senators serve two-year terms in the Connecticut State Senate, with all 36 of the seats up for election each cycle. Primary Elections were held in August 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House Bill 5414</span> Abortion-rights law in U.S. state of Connecticut

House Bill 5414, passed by the Connecticut General Assembly and signed into law by that U.S. state's Governor, Ned Lamont, on May 5, 2022, as the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act, is intended to protect abortion in the state and expand the procedure's availability. Several of its provisions are responses to the Texas Heartbeat Act, passed in late 2021 and since emulated by two other states, that would prevent enforcement in Connecticut of judgements obtained by lawsuits filed under those laws against abortion providers, patients and those who facilitate them. It also allows more non-physician providers to perform certain types of abortions, codifying a past legal opinion. The law took effect July 1.

Hector Edward Arzeno is an Argentine-born American businessman, banker, and politician.

References

  1. ↑ Mahony, Edward H. (August 10, 2021). "A signed, Jackson Pollock collage has become a point of contention in former state Sen. Alex Kasser's long-running divorce". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Vollmer, Christina Fagerstal, Chair, New Canaan DTC, joined by Kathleen Corbet, Kit Devereaux, Colm Dobbyn, Liz Donovan, Lisa Hannich, Gerry Harrington, Angela Jameson, Richard Lurie, Nick Mitrakis, Fatou Niang, Bob Smith, and Ed (2020-08-18). "New Canaan Democrats support Kasser". New Canaan Advertiser. Retrieved 2022-01-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ Upi (1984-11-13). "THE REGION; ; Mochary's Spouse Gets Transplant". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  4. 1 2 "Who I am". Alex4CT. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  5. 1 2 "Yes, there will be a Democratic state senator from Greenwich". The CT Mirror. December 31, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  6. ↑ Borsuk, Ken (2018-11-06). "Bergstein wins in upset of Frantz in 36th District race". GreenwichTime. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  7. ↑ Marchant, Robert; Borsuk, Ken (2020-11-05). "Fazio concedes to Kasser in 36th Senate District". GreenwichTime. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  8. ↑ "Alex Kasser". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  9. ↑ Hamad, Michael (12 January 2021). "Democrats introduce new tolls bill, but Gov. Ned Lamont and others have repeatedly said they're moving forward after battling for months without passage". Hartford Courant . Archived from the original on 2021-11-07. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  10. ↑ Cook, Lawrence (2019-02-15). "Sen. Bergstein: It's Time To Invest In Connecticut With An Infrastructure Bank". Connecticut Senate Democrats. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  11. 1 2 Cook, Lawrence (2019-05-28). "State Senate Passes Student Loan Debt Relief Legislation". Connecticut Senate Democrats. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  12. ↑ "Connecticut Enacts Broad Tax Changes During 2019 Legislative Session" (PDF). Deloitte. 2019-07-25. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  13. ↑ greenwichfreepress. "LETTER: Four Reasons to Re-Elect Senator Alex Kasser". Greenwich Free Press. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  14. 1 2 Murdock, Zach (2021-03-24). "Survivors of domestic violence urge Connecticut lawmakers to pass reforms named for Jennifer Farber Dulos, Jennifer Magnano". Hartford Courant . Archived from the original on 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  15. ↑ O'Neill, Tara (2021-08-22). "'The silent killer': How coercive control shaped Jennifer Magnano's children's lives". CT Insider. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  16. ↑ Fortuna, Angela. "Governor Signs 'Jennifer's Law,' Expanding Definition of Domestic Violence in Conn". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  17. ↑ "Alex Kasser". Medium. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  18. ↑ Pazniokas, Mark (2021-06-22). "Citing divorce fight, Alex Kasser resigns from the CT Senate". CT Mirror. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  19. ↑ "Ryan Fazio wins special election for Greenwich state Senate seat". fox61.com. 18 August 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  20. ↑ Mangan, Dan (2021-06-22). "Connecticut state Sen. Alex Kasser resigns, blames bitter divorce battle waged by Morgan Stanley executive husband". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.