Gail Lavielle
When state Rep. Gail Lavielle (R-143rd District) was sworn in yesterday, Jan. 9, for her second term in the Connecticut House of Representatives, she became ranking member of the General Assembly’s Commerce Committee for the 2013-14 legislative session.
She was also assigned to the Appropriations, Education and Higher Education committees.
“During her time in the legislature, Rep. Lavielle has distinguished herself as a capable leader and legislator,” said House Republican Leader Lawrence F. Cafero (R-142nd District), who made the appointments.
“Her assignment as the ranking member of the Commerce Committee reflects the trust and faith I place in her capabilities to get the job done. Her strong business background and more than 25 years of experience will serve the committee well as we work to get Connecticut’s economy growing again.”
The Commerce Committee deals with all matters related to economic development in Connecticut, including shaping the state’s climate for business.
“The Commerce Committee has a central role to play at a time when Connecticut’s rate of unemployment remains significantly higher than national and regional levels, hovering persistently around 9%,” said Ms. Lavielle. “I look forward to working with colleagues from both sides of the aisle to create an environment more friendly to businesses, so that they can grow and create jobs and make Connecticut more competitive.”
Ms. Lavielle worked for more than 25 years in finance, marketing, and communication, holding executive leadership positions with Fortune 500 corporations, including chief executive of an Interpublic Group subsidiary and senior vice president of Suez Environment, the world’s largest water and wastewater services company. In 2012, she was named “Woman of the Year” by the Homebuilders and Remodelers Association of Fairfield County for her leadership in supporting proposals to reduce taxes and state government costs and to remove legislative barriers to business growth.
On the Appropriations Committee, Ms. Lavielle said she looks forward not only to working on the overall state budget but also to continuing to focus on the transportation budget, which is a “linchpin of Fairfield County’s economy and quality of life.”
She was a member of the team that developed and proposed a no-tax-increase biennial budget in 2011 and a set of no-tax-increase midterm budget adjustments in 2012.
“Our work on the spending side of the budget will be critical during this session, because even after last session’s historic tax increases, the state is still facing a $2.2-billion deficit over the next two years,” she said. “I hope we will continue the collaborative process begun during our December special session to develop bipartisan solutions that will reduce state spending significantly while preserving essential services.”
As a member of the Education Committee, she said, she will continue to advocate for a more equitable state education funding allocation for Norwalk and mandate relief for consistently high-performing districts like Wilton and Westport.
The 143rd District includes parts of Wilton and Norwalk and this year, for the first time, also extends to Westport.
