Nancy Wyman

Nancy Wyman
88th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut
Incumbent
Assumed office January 5, 2011
Governor	Dan Malloy
Preceded by	Michael Fedele
Comptroller of Connecticut
In office January 4, 1995 – January 5, 2011
Governor	John Rowland Jodi Rell Dan Malloy
Preceded by	Bill Curry
Succeeded by	Kevin Lembo
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
In office 1987-1995
Personal details
Born	April 21, 1946 New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Michael Wyman
Children	Stacey Meryl
Alma mater	Long Island College Hospital
Religion	Judaism
Signature
Website	Government website

Nancy S. Wyman (born April 21, 1946) is an American Democratic Party politician who is Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. She is Connecticut's 108th^{[n 1]} lieutenant governor. She was State Comptroller of Connecticut from 1995 to 2011, and was the first woman elected to that office position since it was created in 1786.

Early life

Wyman was born to a Jewish family^[1] and grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where her father worked as an accountant and supplemented his income by delivering the New York Daily News. She earned an associate degree in radiological technology from Long Island College Hospital.^[2]

Early career

Wyman began her career in public service as vice chairperson of the Tolland Board of Education. She served in this post for four years, but was on the board serving in other roles for five additional years. In 1986, she was elected as the State Representative from the 53rd district of Connecticut, serving in this capacity from 1987–1995.^[3]

Comptroller

In 1994, Wyman became State Comptroller upon defeating Republican Gene Gavin, a Certified Public Accountant. She succeeded William E. Curry, Jr., who did not run for re-election in order to run for governor.

As comptroller, Wyman was the chief fiscal guardian for the State of Connecticut. She oversaw the state health plan for 200,000 state employees, retirees, and their dependents.^[4]

Despite the high popularity of Connecticut's last two Republican governors, Wyman has easily won re-election. In 1998 she was challenged by Republican State Representative Christopher R. Scalzo. In 2002, 28-year-old West Haven Republican Justice of the Peace and City Commissioner Steven Mullins presented an easy challenge to Wyman.

Mullins, a real estate manager by profession, was chosen by then-Governor John G. Rowland to challenge Wyman the week of the state Republican Convention. He is the only African-American nominee for state comptroller, Democrat or Republican, in Connecticut history.

After being endorsed by three of Connecticut's major newspapers, seven term Groton Republican State Senator Cathy Cook lost to Wyman in 2006.

Lieutenant Governor

Democratic candidate for Governor Dan Malloy chose Wyman to be his running mate in the 2010 gubernatorial race.^[5] After defeating primary opponent Mary Glassman on August 10, 2010,^[6] Wyman became the official 2010 Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Malloy and Wyman won a narrow general election.

Wyman was sworn-in on January 5, 2011, succeeding Republican Michael Fedele.

Political advocacy

In 2006, Wyman co-chaired Joe Courtney's campaign for United States Congress against incumbent U.S. Representative Rob Simmons in Connecticut's second Congressional District. Courtney defeated Simmons by a narrow margin.

Issues

Wyman is liberal when it comes to social issues. In March 2007, she testified at a public hearing of the State Legislative Judiciary Committee in support of Bill #7395 – "An Act Concerning Marriage Equality." In her opening statement before the committee, she stated, "To violate the rights of a few is to violate the rights of all."^[7] The bill supports same-sex marriage rights in Connecticut. In 2008, same-sex marriage became legal in Connecticut by court order.

Personal life

Wyman is married to Tolland Democratic Registrar of Voters R. Michael Wyman. They have lived in Tolland since 1973.

Electoral history

Connecticut's Comptroller Election, 1994
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic*	Nancy Wyman	529,709	54.66
Republican	Gene Gavin	439,473	45.34

*Wyman was also nominated on the A Connecticut Party line.

Connecticut's Comptroller Election, 1998
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Nancy Wyman (inc.)	501,266	56.72
Republican	Christopher Scalzo	373,337	42.24
Libertarian	Steven Edelman	9,207	1.04

Connecticut's Comptroller Election, 2002
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Nancy Wyman (inc.)	577,851	62.19
Republican	Steven Mullins	338,613	36.44
Libertarian	Leonard Rasch	12,651	1.36

Connecticut's Comptroller Election, 2006
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Nancy Wyman (inc.)	651,150	64.42
Republican	Cathy Cook	320,520	31.71
Libertarian	Richard Connelly, Jr.	23,688	2.34
Green	Colin Daniel Bennett	15,427	1.53

Connecticut's Lieutenant Governor Democratic Primary Election, 2010
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Nancy Wyman	110,768	63.33
Democratic	Mary Messina Glassman	64,137	36.67

References

1. Jewish Ledger: "Q & A with… Nancy Wyman - State Comptroller talks about run for Lt. Governor" By Judie Jacobson 2014
2. Altimari, Daniela (December 29, 2010). "Nancy Wyman: A Liberal Democrat With Bipartisan Support". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
3. nancywyman.com Archived June 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
4. "State of Connecticut -Office of the State Comptroller – Nancy S. Wyman – Comptroller". Osc.state.ct.us. April 16, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
5. nancywyman.com
6. "Connecticut Primaries: Results". Hartford Courant. August 10, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
7. "Testimony of State Comptroller Nancy Wyman Before the Judiciary Committee March 26, 2007" (PDF). Office of the State Comptroller. Retrieved 29 June 2013.

Notes

1. The State of Connecticut recognizes Nancy Wyman as the 108th Lieutenant Governor, using a standard that had counted Colonial period lieutenants and counts lieutenants who had served multiple times as only one individual figure. Wyman is considered the 88th Lieutenant Governor to serve since the formation of the nation in 1776.

External links

• Official site of Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman