State Rep. Gail Lavielle Will Not Seek Re-Election

WESTPORT, CT — Five-term Republican state Rep. Gail Lavielle announced on Wednesday that she will not seek re-election to represent the 143rd District, which covers parts of Wilton, Norwalk, and Westport.

Currently, the Wilton resident is Assistant Minority Leader and House Ranking Member of the legislature's largest committee, Appropriations.

"At the end of this term, I will have served my constituents and the state of Connecticut in the legislature for a decade," said Rep. Lavielle in a statement. "The privilege of serving is a great honor that I will always deeply appreciate. I thank my constituents for allowing me to contribute to our state through public service and for entrusting me with matters that are important to them and to their friends and families and will continue to be so for years to come."

From Rep. Lavielle's announcement:

Rep. Lavielle was first elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in November 2010, following a 26-year career as a senior executive with major corporations in both France and the United States. Several years after moving to Wilton from Paris in 2002, she served on the Wilton Board of Finance and Energy Commission.

In her five terms in the legislature, she has focused much of her attention on economic and budgetary issues, education, transportation, government transparency, individual freedom of choice, and issues of local control. Before her appointment as Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee, she served as Ranking Member of the Education Committee for four years and, previously, the Commerce Committee.

A Republican, Rep. Lavielle has advocated for reduced government spending, lower taxes for people and businesses, municipal and education mandate relief, and limiting the power of state government to preempt municipal decisions, while at the same time firmly maintaining a centrist, moderate stance on social issues, consistent with the views of many in the towns she represents.

Rep. Lavielle has received multiple awards and recognitions for her work supporting environmental issues, educational funding and initiatives, and services for people with intellectual disabilities. Most recently, she was recognized by the CT Council of Small Towns (COST) for her leadership role in stopping legislation mandating regionalization of Connecticut’s public schools.