The following is information supplied and condensed from a press release:
At the Republican Convention for the 143rd district (Wilton, Norwalk, Westport), held Monday evening, May 12 at Wilton’s Comstock Community Center, State Rep. Gail Lavielle (R-Wilton) received the delegates’ unanimous endorsement as the Republican candidate to represent the district. The 143rd comprises most of Wilton, the eastern section of Norwalk, and the western part of Westport.
Currently serving her second term in the state House of Representatives, Lavielle is the House Republican leader of the General Assembly’s Commerce Committee and a member of the Appropriations, Education, and Higher Education Committees. She is also the House Republican leader of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation.
When she accepted their nomination on Monday, Lavielle reported to the convention delegates that her campaign committee had completed its fundraising for the 2014 election cycle. Several weeks before the convention, the Lavielle campaign had already raised the number and amount of contributions required to apply for a grant from the Connecticut Citizens’ Election Fund.
After accepting the nomination, Lavielle addressed the convention, thanking the delegates for their confidence and their support. “It is a privilege to serve my constituents in Wilton, Norwalk, and Westport. I am honored by this nomination, and deeply grateful for the support I’ve received from all three communities. I am also conscious of the tremendous amount of work there is to do. People throughout the state fear that neither they nor their children can have a future in Connecticut. They worry about jobs, about high taxes, about the costs of higher education, and about retirement. Connecticut’s fall to the bottom of so many nationwide rankings, along with the decline of its education system and infrastructure, is all the more distressing because our state is endowed with enormous potential. I am determined to continue fighting to bring Connecticut — as a place to live, work, raise a family, and retire – back to the top where it surely belongs.”
Lavielle was nominated by Olga Arteaga of Norwalk; Wilton’s Second Selectman Hal Clark seconded Lavielle’s nomination, saying, “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with Gail Lavielle for more than a decade. Her keen intelligence, her strong work ethic, and her mastery of the critical fiscal, budgetary, and economic development issues facing Connecticut has won her widespread respect as a forceful and articulate advocate for Wilton and for our region of the state. With Gail as our advocate, we know that our town’s and our district’s voice is not only heard, but listened to in Hartford. She also continues to take constituent communication to higher and higher levels. We are very fortunate in the 143rd district, because although our legislature is part-time, Gail works absolutely full-time as our representative. She is a consummate public servant who is dedicated to helping all of her constituents regardless of their political affiliation. I do not know anyone who works harder than Gail Lavielle for our town, our district, and our state.”
Lavielle’s background combines extensive business experience and public service at both the town and the state levels. She worked for more than 25 years in finance, marketing, and communication, holding senior executive leadership positions with Fortune 500 corporations. These included Chief Executive Officer of an Interpublic Group subsidiary in Europe and Senior Vice President of Suez Environment. She has served on the Wilton Board of Finance and the Wilton Energy Commission, as well as on two state commissions in the transportation and education areas. She also taught upper-level courses to undergraduates at UConn. Active in many community organizations, she is a member of the Boards of the Norwalk Senior Center and the Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield County, and the Advisory Boards of Wilton Go Green, ITN Coastal, and Norwalk Hospital. She has also served on the Board of the Girl Scouts of Southwest Fairfield County and the Stamford Symphony Chairman’s Council, and has been a delegate to the Yale Assembly. She holds an MA in French from Yale, a BA in English from Cornell, and an MBA in finance from UConn, and is the author of a book on opera. She and her husband Jean-Pierre live in Wilton.