| Revision as of 23:37, 27 June 2018 editHorse Eye Jack (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users10,961 editsm →Connecticut House of Representatives← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 11:06, 1 December 2024 edit undoJevansen (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Page movers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers3,323,791 edits −Category:21st-century American legislators; ±Category:21st-century Connecticut politicians→Category:21st-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly using HotCat | ||
| (82 intermediate revisions by 36 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{short description|American politician}} | |||
| {{Infobox officeholder | {{Infobox officeholder | ||
| |name = Joe Aresimowicz | |name = Joe Aresimowicz | ||
| |office = Speaker of the |
|image = Joe Aresimowicz.jpg | ||
| |office = ] | |||
| |term_start = January 3, 2017 | |term_start = January 3, 2017 | ||
| |term_end = | |term_end = January 6, 2021 | ||
| |predecessor = ] | |predecessor = ] | ||
| |successor = | |successor = ] | ||
| |state_house1 = Connecticut | |state_house1 = Connecticut | ||
| |district1 = 30th | |district1 = 30th | ||
| |term_start1 = January |
|term_start1 = January 2005 | ||
| |term_end1 = | |term_end1 = January 6, 2021 | ||
| |predecessor1 = |
|predecessor1 = ] | ||
| |successor1 = | |successor1 = ] | ||
| |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|11|5}} | |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|11|5}} | ||
| |birth_place = ], U.S. | |birth_place = ], U.S. | ||
| Line 21: | Line 23: | ||
| |education = ] | |education = ] | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''Joe Aresimowicz''' is a member of the ] and |
'''Joe Aresimowicz''' (born November 5, 1970) is a former American Democratic politician serving as a member of the ] and former ]. From 2013 to 2017, he served as Majority Leader. | ||
| == Early life and family == | == Early life, education, and family == | ||
| Aresimowicz grew up in ] and he attended public schools in Berlin through high school. He is a graduate of the defunct ] in ]. Aresimowicz served in the United States Army Reserve as a combat medic, and was honorably discharged after over a decade of service. He and his family reside in Berlin, where his two youngest children attend Berlin public schools and his oldest son coaches football with him at ]. He is a member of St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Kensington.<ref>{{cite web |title=Joe Aresimowicz's Biography Print |url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/30587/joe-aresimowicz#.WzvtUraZMcg |website=votesmart.org |publisher=Vote Smart |access-date=3 July 2018}}</ref> | |||
| Aresimowicz served in the United States Army Reserve where he served as a combat medic. He was honorably discharged after over a decade of service. A lifelong Berlin resident, he attended public schools in Berlin through high school. | |||
| ==Union work== | |||
| ⚫ | == |
||
| Aresimowicz is a former union president and an ally of organized labor. In addition to his part-time job at the Connecticut General Assembly, Aresimowicz is employed by ] Council 4a, which represents state and municipal workers, where he serves as the education coordinator, teaching classes on organizing and bargaining. He mostly works with the municipal unions to avoid conflicts of interest with his state leadership duties. He does not negotiate contracts, but he does represent some employees in grievances against the state. The CT Mirror reported that his pay as a Union coordinator totalled $71,128 in 2012, $79,947 in 2013, $88,742 in 2014 and $97,112 in 2015.<ref name=Pazniokas>{{cite web |last1=Pazniokas |first1=Mark |title=Ethics opinion: Aresimowicz can be House speaker, union staffer |url=https://ctmirror.org/2016/12/30/ethics-opinion-aresimowicz-can-be-house-speaker-union-staffer/ |website=ctmirror.com |publisher=CT Mirror |access-date=3 February 2019}}</ref><ref name=CTMirror>The CT Mirror, Political Guide, </ref> | |||
| Before joining the state legislature, Aresimowicz served three terms on the Berlin Town Council. Additionally Joe Aresimowicz is a union employee, a former union president and one of the biggest allies of organized labor and its offshoot.<ref>http://projects.ctmirror.org/directory/?n=joearesimowicz</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | Upon his accession to House Speaker, the Republican State Central Committee argued that Aresimowicz had ''an untenable conflict in his ability to properly lead the House of Representatives and confront the insurmountable and rising costs of employee labor agreements, pension contributions and health care costs'', because of his close connections to Connecticut's public sector union. Upon the request of Aresimowicz, the Office of State Ethics conducted an analysis and recommended that Aresimowicz be able to assume the position. The republican majority leader ] agreed, stating that ''each speaker has had different issues based on what you do for a living'' and ''as long as you have a part-time legislature, you're going to have those issues.''<ref name=Pazniokas/><ref name=CTMirror/> | ||
| ⚫ | = |
||
| Aresimowicz was elected to the House in 2004 to represent the 30th Assembly District of Berlin and Southington. In 2013, he was elected the Majority Leader. | |||
| ⚫ | == Political career== | ||
| Aresimowicz has been recognized by a variety of groups including the American Legion, the Connecticut State Firefighters Association the YMCA, and the Connecticut Working Families Party, which receives a great deal of help from Unions in CT. He received a perfect score from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters for his support and advocacy of environmental initiatives. | |||
| Before joining the state legislature, Aresimowicz served three terms on the Berlin Town Council. Aresimowicz was elected to the ] in 2004 to represent the 30th Assembly District of Berlin and ]. In 2013, he was elected the Majority Leader and in 2017 he became the ].<ref name=Bio>Connecticut House Democrats, State Representative Joe Aresimowicz, </ref> | |||
| ⚫ | In 2018 Aresimowicz was involved in a scandal over ] in the ] program. The ] reported that Public Act 18-175, a bill about State management of online data, included a one paragraph amendment to the end of the 11-page bill that read, “A state employee who is employed at a constituent unit of the state system of higher education and a member of the immediate family of such state employee may be employed in the same department or division of such constituent unit.”<ref>{{cite web |title=Legislative Leader Slipped Amendment into Bill |url=http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-uconn-edsell-new-bill-20180625-story.html |website=courant.com |publisher=Hartford Courant |access-date=27 June 2018}}</ref> It was alleged that this legislation had been introduced on behalf of University of Connecticut Football Coach ] so that he could employ his own son, Corey Edsall.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stuart |first1=Christine |title=Plan To Save Edsall's Job Was Hatched At High School Football Banquet |url=https://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/20180627_plan_to_save_edsalls_job_was_hatched_at_high_school_football/ |website=ctnewsjunkie.com |publisher=CT News Junkies |access-date=27 June 2018}}</ref> Aresimowicz introduced this legislation that created a loophole for Edsall's son after Edsall spoke to him about the matter. Aresimowicz commented that “As a head coach for over 20 years I've talked to other coaches who say Corey is a first class coach and knows what he is doing,” he told the Hartford Courant. “I believe that UConn has the checks and balances in place to ensure that no one is taking advantage of this situation.”<ref>{{cite web |last1=Connolly |first1=Daniel |title=New Law May Allow Corey Edsall to Coach with UConn Football Connecticut State legislators sided with Edsall over the state's ethics board. |url=https://www.theuconnblog.com/2018/6/26/17504282/uconn-huskies-football-corey-edsall-new-law-randy-edsall-state-ethics-connecticut-politics |website=theuconnblog.com |publisher=The UCONN blog |access-date=27 June 2018}}</ref> The State Ethics Board called this loophole amendment “An affront to all Connecticut citizens."<ref>{{cite web |title=State Ethics Board Comments on Edsel Amendment |url=http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-ethics-board-edsall-double-standard-20180627-story.html |website=courant.com |publisher=Hartford Courant |access-date=27 June 2018}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | Upon his accession to House Speaker, |
||
| In January 2021, following his retirement from the Connecticut General Assembly, Aresimowicz took a job working for ].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pazniokas |first1=Mark |title=Connecticut's $90M lobbying industry has a new player: former Speaker Joe Aresimowicz |url=https://ctmirror.org/2021/01/15/connecticuts-90m-lobbying-industry-has-a-new-player-former-speaker-joe-aresimowicz/ |access-date=18 February 2021 |work=The CT Mirror |date=15 January 2021 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | In 2018 Aresimowicz was involved in a scandal over ] in the ] program. The Hartford Courant reported that Public Act 18-175, a bill about State management of online data, included a one paragraph amendment to the end of the 11-page bill that read, “A state employee who is employed at a constituent unit of the state system of higher education and a member of the immediate family of such state employee may be employed in the same department or division of such constituent unit.”<ref>{{cite web |title=Legislative Leader Slipped Amendment into Bill |url=http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-uconn-edsell-new-bill-20180625-story.html |website=courant.com |publisher=Hartford Courant | |
||
| == Honors and awards== | |||
| Aresimowicz has been honored by a variety of groups, including the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance, the New England Secondary School Consortium, the ], the Connecticut State Firefighters Association, the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, the Alliance of Connecticut ]s, the ], and the Connecticut River Salmon Association.<ref name=Bio/> | |||
| == Electoral history == | == Electoral history == | ||
| Line 141: | Line 146: | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| {{Election box end}} | {{Election box end}} | ||
| == Personal life == | |||
| Aresimowicz grew up in ]. He and his family now reside in Berlin, where his two youngest children, Ryan and Katie, attend Berlin public schools and his oldest son Michael coaches football with him at Berlin High School. | |||
| He is employed as the Education Coordinator for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 4. | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 152: | Line 151: | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| * Connecticut House Democrats, | |||
| {{Portal|Connecticut|Biography}} | |||
| * {{dead link|date=February 2018}} | |||
| {{s-start}} | |||
| {{Current Connecticut statewide political officials}} | |||
| {{s-off}} | |||
| {{Current Speakers of U.S. state Houses of Representatives}} | |||
| {{s-bef|before=]}} | |||
| {{Connecticut House of Representatives}} | |||
| ⚫ | {{s-ttl|title=Speaker of the ]|years=2017–2021}} | ||
| {{s-aft|after=]}} | |||
| {{s-end}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Aresimowicz, Joe}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Aresimowicz, Joe}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 11:06, 1 December 2024
American politician| Joe Aresimowicz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives | |
| In office January 3, 2017 – January 6, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Brendan Sharkey |
| Succeeded by | Matthew Ritter |
| Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 30th district | |
| In office January 2005 – January 6, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Rooster Stephenson |
| Succeeded by | Donna Veach |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1970-11-05) November 5, 1970 (age 54) Berlin, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Crystal |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | National Labor College |
Joe Aresimowicz (born November 5, 1970) 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.
Early life, education, and family
Aresimowicz grew up in Berlin, Connecticut and he attended public schools in Berlin through high school. He is a graduate of the defunct National Labor College in Silver Springs, Maryland. Aresimowicz served in the United States Army Reserve as a combat medic, and was honorably discharged after over a decade of service. He and his family reside in Berlin, where his two youngest children attend Berlin public schools and his oldest son coaches football with him at Berlin High School. He is a member of St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Kensington.
Union work
Aresimowicz is a former union president and an ally of organized labor. In addition to his part-time job at the Connecticut General Assembly, Aresimowicz is employed by AFSCME Council 4a, which represents state and municipal workers, where he serves as the education coordinator, teaching classes on organizing and bargaining. He mostly works with the municipal unions to avoid conflicts of interest with his state leadership duties. He does not negotiate contracts, but he does represent some employees in grievances against the state. The CT Mirror reported that his pay as a Union coordinator totalled $71,128 in 2012, $79,947 in 2013, $88,742 in 2014 and $97,112 in 2015.
Upon his accession to House Speaker, the Republican State Central Committee argued that Aresimowicz had an untenable conflict in his ability to properly lead the House of Representatives and confront the insurmountable and rising costs of employee labor agreements, pension contributions and health care costs, because of his close connections to Connecticut's public sector union. Upon the request of Aresimowicz, the Office of State Ethics conducted an analysis and recommended that Aresimowicz be able to assume the position. The republican majority leader Themis Klarides agreed, stating that each speaker has had different issues based on what you do for a living and as long as you have a part-time legislature, you're going to have those issues.
Political career
Before joining the state legislature, Aresimowicz served three terms on the Berlin Town Council. Aresimowicz was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 2004 to represent the 30th Assembly District of Berlin and Southington. In 2013, he was elected the Majority Leader and in 2017 he became the Speaker of the House.
In 2018 Aresimowicz was involved in a scandal over nepotism in the Uconn Huskies football program. The Hartford Courant reported that Public Act 18-175, a bill about State management of online data, included a one paragraph amendment to the end of the 11-page bill that read, “A state employee who is employed at a constituent unit of the state system of higher education and a member of the immediate family of such state employee may be employed in the same department or division of such constituent unit.” It was alleged that this legislation had been introduced on behalf of University of Connecticut Football Coach Randy Edsall so that he could employ his own son, Corey Edsall. Aresimowicz introduced this legislation that created a loophole for Edsall's son after Edsall spoke to him about the matter. Aresimowicz commented that “As a head coach for over 20 years I've talked to other coaches who say Corey is a first class coach and knows what he is doing,” he told the Hartford Courant. “I believe that UConn has the checks and balances in place to ensure that no one is taking advantage of this situation.” The State Ethics Board called this loophole amendment “An affront to all Connecticut citizens."
In January 2021, following his retirement from the Connecticut General Assembly, Aresimowicz took a job working for Gaffney, Bennett and Associates.
Honors and awards
Aresimowicz has been honored by a variety of groups, including the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance, the New England Secondary School Consortium, the American Legion, the Connecticut State Firefighters Association, the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, the Alliance of Connecticut YMCAs, the Connecticut State Medical Society, and the Connecticut River Salmon Association.
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Aresimowicz | 6,886 | 51.87 | |
| Republican | Christopher Morelli | 6,389 | 48.13 | |
| Total votes | 13,275 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Aresimowicz | 5,513 | 84.1 | |
| Working Families | Joe Aresimowicz | 1,043 | 15.9 | |
| Total | Joe Aresimowicz (Incumbent) | 6,556 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 6,556 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Aresimowicz | 7,400 | 86.2 | |
| Working Families | Joe Aresimowicz | 1,189 | 13.8 | |
| Total | Joe Aresimowicz (Incumbent) | 8,589 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 8,589 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Aresimowicz | 5,319 | 55.5 | |
| Working Families | Joe Aresimowicz | 345 | 3.6 | |
| Total | Joe Aresimowicz (Incumbent) | 5,664 | 59.1 | |
| Republican | Jim Sargent | 3,917 | 40.9 | |
| Total votes | 9,581 | 100 | ||
References
- "Joe Aresimowicz's Biography Print". votesmart.org. Vote Smart. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
- ^ Pazniokas, Mark. "Ethics opinion: Aresimowicz can be House speaker, union staffer". ctmirror.com. CT Mirror. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ The CT Mirror, Political Guide, Joe Aresimowicz
- ^ Connecticut House Democrats, State Representative Joe Aresimowicz, Biography
- "Legislative Leader Slipped Amendment into Bill". courant.com. Hartford Courant. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- Stuart, Christine. "Plan To Save Edsall's Job Was Hatched At High School Football Banquet". ctnewsjunkie.com. CT News Junkies. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- Connolly, Daniel. "New Law May Allow Corey Edsall to Coach with UConn Football Connecticut State legislators sided with Edsall over the state's ethics board". theuconnblog.com. The UCONN blog. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- "State Ethics Board Comments on Edsel Amendment". courant.com. Hartford Courant. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- Pazniokas, Mark (15 January 2021). "Connecticut's $90M lobbying industry has a new player: former Speaker Joe Aresimowicz". The CT Mirror. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
External links
- Connecticut House Democrats, State Representative Joe Aresimowicz
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byBrendan Sharkey | Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives 2017–2021 |
Succeeded byMatthew Ritter |
- 1970 births
- Catholics from Connecticut
- Combat medics
- Connecticut city council members
- Living people
- Military personnel from Connecticut
- People from Berlin, Connecticut
- Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives
- Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives
- United States Army soldiers
- 21st-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly