Donald Williams | |
---|---|
President pro tempore of the Connecticut State Senate | |
In office July 1, 2004 –January 7, 2015 | |
Preceded by | Kevin Sullivan |
Succeeded by | Martin Looney |
Member of the Connecticut State Senate from the 29th district | |
In office January 6,1993 –January 7,2015 | |
Preceded by | Kevin Johnston |
Succeeded by | Mae Flexer |
Personal details | |
Born | Cincinnati,Ohio,U.S. | July 1,1957
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Laura Williams |
Children | Nina Williams |
Alma mater | Syracuse University Washington and Lee University |
Donald E. Williams Jr. (born July 1,1957) was first elected to the Connecticut General Assembly in a special election in 1993. Prior to his service in the State Senate,he served two terms as the First Selectman for the town of Thompson. In July 2004,Senator Williams was elected to serve as the President Pro Tempore,the highest-ranking legislator in the Connecticut General Assembly. He was reelected to this post five times,in 2005,2007,2009,2011,and 2013.
He serves as the Chair of the Legislative Management Committee and Vice-Chair of the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee. He is Co-Chair of the Barack Obama for President Connecticut Leadership Council. [1]
Senator Williams has spearheaded a variety of initiatives in the areas of campaign finance reform,ethics reform,protection of children and environmental protection and preservation.
As chairman of the Environment Committee he led the charge to clean up power plants (referred to as the “Sooty Six”) that pollute Connecticut’s air. He also initiated efforts to preserve the state’s natural water resources,fishing and shellfish industry in Long Island Sound. He has also been recognized for his efforts to help protect Connecticut farmers.
He has also served as chairman of the Judiciary Committee,where he authored legislation creating both the Office of the Child Advocate [ permanent dead link ] and the Office of the Victim Advocate in addition to his many efforts to prevent domestic violence.
Shortly after his election in 1993 he authored legislation creating the first enterprise corridor zones in rural areas to help attract and retain jobs in northeastern Connecticut. This program allowed rural towns in need of economic development to utilize the same economic development benefits that had been provided in the past to certain urban centers.
Moreover,he has composed legislation to reform the State Ethics Commission and helped implement sweeping reforms to the campaign finance system and state contracting process.
Some of Williams' proposals were controversial and were not adopted. In 2006 he was criticized after proposing to regulate speech in political ads,which was considered an attack on the First Amendment.
In 2005 he was able to provide millions of dollars to preserve farmland and open space,protect historic sites,and increase the supply of affordable housing in northeastern Connecticut. In 2006 he was at the forefront of legislation that banned the sale of soda and other unhealthy beverages in schools. That very same bill tripled the funding for schools to provide healthier alternatives for students.
On the school nutrition bill he was aligned with Meriden Democrat Thomas Gaffey who also favored banning soda and snack food from Connecticut public schools. Many parents have derided this bill as the "cupcake bill" and consider it an affront to parental responsibility,as local schools have told children not to bring in sweets for birthday parties. In March 2008 New Haven schools enforced this law by suspending an eighth grader for selling a classmate Skittles. [2] In May 2008 a principal in Greenwich was suspended in a dispute over bringing cupcakes to school. [3]
Williams is a strong supporter of higher education,including the UCONN 2000 and UCONN 21st Century initiatives that dramatically improved the buildings and campus of the University of Connecticut. In addition,he supported the CSU 2020 program that will provide the same support for the state university system. In approving the legislation,Governor M. Jodi Rell said,"If there is a crown jewel in this bonding bill,it is the program that will continue the glorious transformation of higher education in Connecticut. That transformation began with ‘UConn 2000’and continues today with ‘CSU 2020.’"
The CSU bonding proposal was not without controversy,however. Governor Rell vetoed a bonding package which included $1 billion for the Connecticut state university system. Democrats failed to override the veto because Senator Joan Hartley,chairman of the higher education committee,believed the CSU bonding lacked accountability. Williams then threatened Hartley with political retaliation. [4] After a revised bonding package passed,it was revealed that Williams' ally Thomas Gaffey had an undisclosed intimate relationship with the lobbyist for the CSU system. [5] Williams then flatly denied an investigation into Gaffey's conduct was warranted. [6] Gaffey pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations in January 2011 and resigned his seat. Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine
Senator Williams was the News and Public Affairs Director for WINY radio in Putnam,Connecticut,from 1980 to 1983. He practiced law at the firm of Boland,Saint Onge and Brouillard. He was also the Law Review Research Editor at the Washington and Lee University School of Law.
He served on the Board of Directors on HealthNet,Inc.,the Northeast Connecticut Chamber of Commerce,the Quinebaug Valley Youth and Family Services,as the Chair of the Northeast Economic Alliance,and as Chair of the Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments.
The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital,Hartford. There are no term limits for members of either chamber.
Mary CarolynRell was an American politician who served as the 87th governor of Connecticut from 2004 to 2011. Rell also had served as the state's 105th lieutenant governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004 under Governor John G. Rowland,and became governor after Rowland resigned from office. To date,Rell is the last Republican and last woman to serve as Governor of Connecticut.
James Fairman Fielder was an American lawyer and Democratic politician and jurist who served as the 35th Governor of New Jersey from 1914 to 1917. He had previously served as acting governor in 1913 but stepped down from office to avoid constitutional limits on serving successive terms.
Thomas P. Gaffey is an American politician. Gaffey,a Democrat,had been a state senator from Connecticut since 1995,but left office due to criminal violations on January 5,2011.
Gayle Slossberg is an American politician. A Democrat,Slossberg is a former seven term Connecticut State Senator having served between 2005 and 2019.
Joan V. Hartley is an American politician. A Democrat,she has been a state senator from Connecticut since 2001.
Christopher G. Donovan is a former American Democratic politician who was elected to be the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives. He was sworn in as Speaker on January 7,2009,and left his post in 2013,having not sought reelection to the House. He is the first grassroots organizer to become speaker of the Connecticut House.
James A. Amann is a former Connecticut State Representative. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives and represented the 118th Assembly District,which includes part of Milford,Connecticut.
Pamela Graboski Beidle is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate from District 32 since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party,she previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2007 to 2019,and was a member of the Anne Arundel County Council from 1998 to 2006.
John H. Frey is an American real estate broker,businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party,he served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives for the 111th district from 1999 to 2021.
Paul G. Pinsky is an American educator,politician from Maryland. A member of the Democratic Party,he is currently the Director of the Maryland Energy Administration. He was previously a member of the Maryland Senate,representing District 22 in Prince George's County.
Matthew L. Lesser is an American politician who represents the 9th district in the Connecticut State Senate. A member of the Democratic Party,he was first elected to the State House in 2008,and re-elected in 2010,2012,2014,and 2016. He won election to the state Senate from the 9th district in 2018,and was reelected in 2020 and 2022. Lesser unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for Connecticut Secretary of the State in 2022.
SustiNet is a Connecticut health care plan passed into law in July 2009. Its goal was to provide affordable health care coverage to 98% of Connecticut residents by 2014. The name SustiNet derives from the motto of the State of Connecticut:"Qui transtulit sustinet.".
Reuven Michael Carlyle is a founder of Earth Finance,a global climate strategy and investment firm. He is also an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Washington legislature representing the Washington's 36th legislative district in the state house between 2009 and 2016 and in the state senate between 2016 and 2023.
Nick Collins is an American politician who currently serves as a member of the Massachusetts Senate,representing First Suffolk District. Collins serves as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight and the Senate Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses. Additionally,he serves a member of the Senate Committee on Bills in the Third Reading,and a member on the Joint Committee's on Bonding,Capital Expenditures and State Assets;Mental Health,Substance Use and Recovery;and Public Service. He is a Boston resident and a Democrat. Elected into the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2010,he served four terms in the House representing the 4th Suffolk District.
Joe Aresimowicz is a former American Democratic politician serving as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives and former Speaker of the House. From 2013 to 2017,he served as Majority Leader.
Amy Fern Volk is an American politician from Maine. A Republican from Scarborough,Maine,Volk was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2010 when she defeated incumbent Democrat Sean Flaherty.
Cindy F. Friedman is an American politician currently serving as a state senator representing the 4th Middlesex District in the Massachusetts Senate. Friedman's district comprises Arlington,Billerica,Burlington,Lexington,and Woburn. She has been serving since 2017. Prior to becoming a state senator,Friedman worked as a public school teacher and as a senior manager in the high-tech industry and later served for nearly a decade as chief of staff to the late state senator Ken Donnelly. During her first term,Friedman served as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health,Substance Use and Recovery. For the 191st General Court,Friedman serves as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing and is vice chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
Lindsay Sabadosa is an American activist and politician. She is the first woman to hold the 1st Hampshire district seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Harry J. Hartley was an American educator and academic administrator who served as the 12th President of the University of Connecticut (1990–1996). Prior to his presidency,Hartley had served twice as UConn's acting president,vice president for finance and administration,and dean of the UConn School of Education (1972–1975).