Mary Jodi Rell (born June 16, 1946) is a
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
and has been the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
since July 1, 2004. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut under Governor
John G. RowlandJohn Grosvenor Rowland was the Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004; he is a member of the Republican Party. He is married to Patty Rowland, his second wife, and the couple have five children between them...
, who resigned during a
corruptionPolitical corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
investigation. Rell is Connecticut's second
female Governor, after
Ella T. GrassoElla Grasso , born Ella Giovanna Oliva Tambussi, was an American politician, and first woman elected governor of Connecticut.-Biography:...
.
Early life
Born Matillda Carolyn Reavis in
Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 234,403 as of the 2000 census, it is Virginia's second-largest incorporated city behind its eastern neighbor, Virginia Beach....
, Rell attended
Old Dominion UniversityOld Dominion University is a large public research university located in historic Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia...
, but left in 1967 to marry Lou Rell, a US Navy
pilotAn aviator is a person who flies aircraft for pleasure or as a profession. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887 as a variation of the French 'aviation', from the latin 'avis', coined 1863 by G. de la Landelle in "Aviation ou Navigation Aérienne"...
. She moved to
Brookfield, ConnecticutBrookfield is a town located in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 15,664 at the 2000 census. First settled in 1754 with the establishment of the Newbury Parish, which incorporated parts of neighboring Newtown and Danbury, the town of Brookfield was...
in 1969 and later attended, but did not graduate from,
Western Connecticut State UniversityWestern Connecticut State University is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut. Founded in 1903, WestConn has an arts and sciences curriculum, a business school, and several professional programs including elementary and secondary education, nursing, music performance, and social work...
. She never graduated from college. She received
honoraryAn honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements...
law doctoratesA law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- United States:...
from the
University of HartfordThe University of Hartford, often called UHA or UHart, is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. It was chartered through the joining of the Hartford Art School, Hillyer College, and The Hartt School in 1957.The University attracts...
in 2001 and the
University of New HavenThe University of New Haven is a private, comprehensive, coeducational university located in West Haven, Connecticut, which borders the larger city of New Haven and Long Island Sound....
in 2004.
Career
Rell served as a Connecticut State Representative for the 107th District in
BrookfieldBrookfield is a town located in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 15,664 at the 2000 census. First settled in 1754 with the establishment of the Newbury Parish, which incorporated parts of neighboring Newtown and Danbury, the town of Brookfield was...
from 1985 until 1995. She became Lieutenant Governor after the 1994 election and won re-election in 1998 and 2002. Becoming governor in 2004 after John Rowland's resignation, Rell was elected to her own full term on November 7, 2006. She received approximately 710,000 votes, the highest total for any gubernatorial candidate in Connecticut history.
In her first months in office, Rell had high approval ratings, with a December 2004
Quinnipiac UniversityQuinnipiac University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in Hamden, Connecticut, at the foot of Sleeping Giant State Park. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees through its College of Arts and Sciences; School of Business; School of...
poll showing her at 80 percent, the highest rating ever measured by the
Quinnipiac UniversityQuinnipiac University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in Hamden, Connecticut, at the foot of Sleeping Giant State Park. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees through its College of Arts and Sciences; School of Business; School of...
poll for a governor in Connecticut. She announced in October 2005 she would seek a four-year term in 2006, and was nominated by the Republican Party in May 2006 to seek a full term of her own. Stamford businessman and former state representative
Michael FedeleMichael Fedele is an Italian-American politician. A Republican, the 87th and current Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut.-Career:...
was nominated as her running mate as Lieutenant Governor.
Rell defeated her
DemocraticThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
opponent,
New HavenNew Haven is the second-largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport and just ahead of Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people. "New Haven" may also refer to the wider Greater New Haven area, which has nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the immediate area...
Mayor
John DeStefano, Jr.John DeStefano, Jr. is the current mayor of New Haven, Connecticut. He was the Democratic candidate in 2006 for Governor of Connecticut, unsuccessfully challenging incumbent Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell. He was also the named defendant in the landmark 2009 U.S. Supreme Court case of Ricci v...
in the
2006 Connecticut gubernatorial electionThe Connecticut gubernatorial election of 2006 occurred on November 7, 2006. The incumbent, M. Jodi Rell became Governor when John G. Rowland resigned in 2004...
.
In December 2007, Rell announced she was considering forming a committee for a 2010 re-election campaign.
Governor of Connecticut
On April 20, 2005, Rell signed into law a bill that made Connecticut the first state to adopt civil unions for same-sex couples without being directed to do so by a court. The law gives same-sex couples all of the 300+ rights, responsibilities, and privileges that the state gives to heterosexual couples, including the right to adopt children, awarding state income tax credits, inheritance rights, and allowing same-sex partners to be considered next-of-kin when it comes to making medical decisions for incapacitated partners, yet does not require employers to give equal
insuranceInsurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium, and can be thought of as a guaranteed and known...
benefits as they would to heterosexual couples. The bill was amended to define marriage as "between a man and a woman" after Rell threatened a veto. Rell signed the bill despite some Republican opposition to it, including from the Chairman of the State Republicans at the time.
Rell has subsequently announced that were the legislature to pass a bill establishing gay marriage in Connecticut, that she would veto the bill.
During Rell's administration, Connecticut carried out the first
executionCapital punishment or the death penalty, is the execution of a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences....
in
New EnglandNew England is a region of the United States. It is located at the northeastern corner of the US, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S...
since 1960 when
serial killerA serial killer is a person who murders three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a "cooling off" period between each murder, and whose motivation for killing is largely based on psychological gratification. Often, a sexual element is involved with the killings...
Michael Bruce Ross was put to death on May 13, 2005. Rell, who supports the death penalty, declined a request by Ross's lawyers to delay the execution in order for the state legislature to debate eliminating the death penalty. Legally, the Governor of Connecticut cannot
commuteCommutation of sentence involves the reduction of legal penalties, especially in terms of imprisonment. Unlike a pardon, a commutation does not nullify the conviction and is often conditional. Clemency is a similar term, meaning the lessening of the penalty of the crime without forgiving the crime...
a death sentence.
One of Rell's firsts major decisions as governor on August 25, 2004, was to end the system put into place by the previous administration of housing prisoners in out-of-state corrections facilities. "Instead of sending inmates and tax dollars out of state, we can now more fully utilize correctional facilities and personnel in Connecticut," Governor Rell said. "It makes good policy and good fiscal sense." She continued, "This approach is in the best interests of the inmates, their families and our correction system. It will keep offenders closer to their families, their communities and to the support that is so critical for their successful reintegration into society."
Rell faced another criminal justice issue in July 2007 when two
paroleParole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole, meaning " word". Following its use in late-medieval Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners...
d convicts were charged with the
home invasionHome invasion is the crime of entering a private and occupied dwelling, with the intent of committing a crime, often while threatening the resident of the dwelling. It is a legally defined offense in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, and applies even if entry is not forced...
murders of the Petit family in Cheshire. Rell announced a panel would review the state's parole policies and create a study on the topic. She also reiterated her support of capital punishment. On July 31, 2007, she announced tighter parole policies and asked the legislature to define
burglaryBurglary is a crime, the essence of which is entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offence. Usually that offence will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
of an occupied dwelling as a violent crime. In September 2007, she announced a moratorium on the parole of violent offenders. State Senator
Sam CaligiuriSam S. F. Caligiuri is a Connecticut state senator and lawyer who is running for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in the 2010 election...
had called for a full moratorium in July. Ironically, the man Rell appointed to chair the parole board, Robert Farr, wrote an op-ed for the Hartford Courant defending the state's parole system. Rell announced in September that she does not believe Connecticut needs to build new prisons, send inmates out of state or expand any of the corrections facilities.
In January 2008, Rell reached agreement with legislative leaders on a number of criminal justice reforms which were responsive to the systemic failures prior to the Cheshire
home invasionHome invasion is the crime of entering a private and occupied dwelling, with the intent of committing a crime, often while threatening the resident of the dwelling. It is a legally defined offense in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, and applies even if entry is not forced...
. A special session in late January passed laws to toughen penalties for home invasion, and tighten parole procedures, but did not pass a
Three Strikes LawThree strikes laws are statutes enacted by state governments in the United States which require the state courts to hand down a mandatory and extended period of incarceration to persons who have been convicted of a serious criminal offense on three or more separate occasions. These statutes became...
which Rell, Caligiuri, and Senate Minority Leader
John McKinneyJohn P. McKinney is a Republican member of the Connecticut Senate, representing the 28th district since 1999 and currently serving as the Minority Leader....
had favored.
Rell reiterated her call for a Three Strikes law on March 31, 2008, following the kidnapping and murder of an elderly New Britain woman committed by a convicted sex offender recently released from Connecticut prison.
Rell supported the state's constitutional spending cap against pressure from groups favoring expanded state government to bypass the cap. As a result in late June 2006 the state reported a $910 million surplus for the prior year and the state's Rainy Day Fund exceeded $1 billion in deposits for the first time. In 2007 she shocked many of her supporters by proposing a state budget that would greatly exceed the spending cap to pay for added education spending. This program would require raising the state income tax. Republican legislators as well as a few Democrats, including (at least initially) House Speaker
James AmannJames A. Amann is a former Connecticut State Representative. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives and represented the One Hundred Eighteenth Assembly District, which includes part of Milford, Connecticut.-Career:Amann was first elected to office in 1990 and has served as...
were skeptical of Rell's proposal. An opinion poll showed opposition to raising the income tax, and widespread skepticism regarding Rell's claim her plan would reduce property taxes. As public opinion remained steadfast in opposition to an income tax hike, she changed her mind and withdrew her support for increased educational spending. Rell originally had the support of the
Connecticut Education Association-About the CEA:The Connecticut Education Association is a Connecticut-based organization. Its purpose is to encourage education and improve the quality of education in the state of Connecticut. It was founded in 1848 by 80 teachers and has since swelled to over 41,000 members....
for her proposal, but they later switched to the Democratic plan favoring even higher state taxes and no limits on property tax increases. On May 9, 2007 Rell announced increased state revenues might make a tax hike unnecessary in 2007. On June 1, 2007 Rell vetoed a Democratic plan that increased the income tax. A compromise plan passed both houses of the legislature in late June that did not increase the income tax, but raised the cigarette tax and did not limit property taxes. It exceeded the state spending cap.
Rell supports a lawsuit in response to the federal
No Child Left Behind ActThe No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 , often abbreviated in print as NCLB and sometimes shortened in pronunciation to "nicklebee", is a United States Act of Congress that was originally proposed by President George W. Bush immediately after taking office...
. Connecticut's Attorney General
Richard BlumenthalRichard Blumenthal the 23rd elected Connecticut Attorney General.-Education:Blumenthal graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received his J.D...
filed the lawsuit against the US Department of Education to force Congress and President
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
to amend the act because, Rell contends, it would compel Connecticut to spend tens of millions to meet impossibly high standards, even as the state's schools perform at one of the highest levels in the nation. The act requires states to pay for standardized testing every school year, instead of every two years. Rell's State Department of Education says the extra testing will provide little new information about students' academic progress. Rell has been active on education issues; she gave the 2008
commencement addressCentral Connecticut State University's annual Commencement Exercises are held each May at the XL Center in Hartford. In most years, a separate graduation ceremony for recipients of advanced degrees is held on campus at Herbert D. Welte Hall....
at
Central Connecticut State UniversityCentral Connecticut State University is a state university in New Britain, Connecticut. It is the oldest public university in Connecticut and ranks third oldest of all universities in Connecticut, having been founded in 1849.-History:...
.
In 2005, Rell signed into law a Democratic plan to revive the Connecticut estate tax, despite, again, the opposition from most Republicans. The tax applies to estates worth $2 million or more. Critics say the tax will encourage wealthy citizens to leave and take their money with them. In 2006 Rell proposed the phase-out of her own tax, but the Democrat-controlled legislature ignored the proposal.
In 2005 Rell signed into law a campaign finance bill that banned contributions from lobbyists and would provide public financing for future campaigns. The law received support from
ArizonaThe State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the four Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, and Scottsdale.Arizona was the 48th and...
Senator
John McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, who campaigned for Rell in
HartfordHartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located in Hartford County on the Connecticut River, north of the center of the state, south of Springfield, Massachusetts. Its 2006 population of 124,512 ranks Hartford as the state's second-largest city, after Bridgeport. New...
on March 17, 2006.
In June 2006 Rell intervened with
New LondonNew London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut.The city is home to Connecticut College, Mitchell...
city officials, proposing that homeowners displaced by the Kelo v. New London court decision be deeded property so they may retain homes in the neighborhood. A settlement was reached with the homeowners on June 30, 2006.
In 2007, Rell clashed with Democratic lawmakers over state bonding issues. Explaining that she felt the Democratic proposal spent too much funds that the state cannot afford, she called on them to renegotiate a new package with less spending. In October an agreement was reached that reduced the bond package by $400 million and the Governor signed it into law.
Various Democratic state legislators have questioned Rell's Chief-of-Staff Lisa Moody regarding a December 2005 political fundraiser that Moody invited state commissioners to attend. A number of attendees settled their dispute with the State Election Enforcement Commission by paying fines. Moody was not charged with a violation this because Chief State's Attorney Christopher Morano said Moody was not considered a political appointee.
On December 27, 2004, Rell underwent treatment after discovering she was in the early stages of
breast cancerBreast cancer is a cancer that starts in the breast, usually in the inner lining of the milk ducts or lobules. There are different types of breast cancer, with different stages , aggressiveness, and genetic makeup. With best treatment, 10-year disease-free survival varies from 98% to 10%...
.
In May 2008, Rell vetoed a bill to raise the
minimum wageA minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly wage that employers may legally pay to employees or workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labor. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion...
in the state of Connecticut. The legislature successfully voted to override Rell's veto in June 2008. The legislation will raise Connecticut's current wage of $7.65 an hour to $8 beginning in January 2009, and to $8.25 an hour in 2010.
On October 10, 2008 Connecticut courts ruled that the ban of gay marriage violated citizens rights guaranteed to them by the constitution. Governor Jodi Rell responded by saying she would not fight the decision. The Supreme Court has spoken,” she stated “I do not believe their voice reflects the majority of the people of Connecticut. However, I am also firmly convinced that attempts to reverse this decision, either legislatively or by amending the state Constitution, will not meet with success.” However, on April 23, 2009, Rell signed a bill into law providing for a gender neutral marriage statute. It also provides for civil unions to be automatically transformed into marriages on October 1, 2010.
In July, 2009 the Connecticut legislature overrode a veto by Rell to pass
SustiNetSustiNet is a Connecticut health care plan passed into law in July, 2009. Its goal is to provide affordable health care coverage to 98% of Connecticut residents by 2014.-Provisions of the legislation:...
, the first significant public-option health care reform legislation in the nation.
On October 1, 2009 the budget adopted by the legislature raised the fishing license fee from $20 to $40 dollars.
Political Future
Governor Rell was one of many Republicans mentioned as a potential candidate for vice president in the 2008 presidential election. The presidential nominee
John McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
chose
AlaskaAlaska is the largest state of the United States of America by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
's
Sarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician who served as Governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009 and was the Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States in 2008....
as his running mate instead.
In April 2008, Rell's Lt. Governor,
Michael FedeleMichael Fedele is an Italian-American politician. A Republican, the 87th and current Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut.-Career:...
told the media he expected Rell to run for re-election in 2010. In August 2008 she told reporters she would file an exploratory committee for a 2010 reelection bid. Currently, three Democrats, Stamford Mayor
Dan MalloyDannel "Dan" Malloy is the Mayor of Stamford, Connecticut. First elected in 1995, he is currently serving his fourth term. Malloy is the longest serving mayor in the history of Stamford.-Biography:...
, former Speaker of the House
James AmannJames A. Amann is a former Connecticut State Representative. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives and represented the One Hundred Eighteenth Assembly District, which includes part of Milford, Connecticut.-Career:Amann was first elected to office in 1990 and has served as...
, and Secretary of State
Susan BysiewiczSusan Bysiewicz is an American politician of the Democratic Party, in Connecticut.She was raised on a farm in Middletown, Connecticut, and graduated from Yale University and Duke University School of Law; while pursuing her law degree, she wrote Ella: A Biography of Governor Ella Grasso...
, have announced their candidacy for governor to try to unseat Rell in 2010. One prominent Democrat,
Richard BlumenthalRichard Blumenthal the 23rd elected Connecticut Attorney General.-Education:Blumenthal graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received his J.D...
, has announced that he will not run for governor; instead, it is widely presumed that he will face
Joe LiebermanJoseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the junior United States Senator from Connecticut. First elected to the Senate in 1988, Lieberman was elected to a fourth term on November 7, 2006...
for his Senate seat in 2012.
Electoral History
Family life
Rell is married and has two grown children. In April 2006, she became a grandmother. Her 2006 campaign advertisements featured her with her grandson. Rell underwent surgery for
breast cancerBreast cancer is a cancer that starts in the breast, usually in the inner lining of the milk ducts or lobules. There are different types of breast cancer, with different stages , aggressiveness, and genetic makeup. With best treatment, 10-year disease-free survival varies from 98% to 10%...
in December 2004 and has remained healthy since.
In November 2007, her husband Lou, a former commercial airline pilot, was diagnosed with cancer related to Barrett's Disease and was scheduled for an operation to remove a tumor.
See also
External links