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Alexandra Kasser

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Alex Kasser
Member of the Connecticut State Senate
from the 36th district
In office
January 9, 2019 – June 22, 2021
Preceded byScott Frantz
Succeeded byRyan Fazio
Personal details
Born
Alexandra Veronica Kasser[1]

(1967-05-04) May 4, 1967 (age 57)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Seth Bergstein
​
​
(m. 1995; div. 2021)​
Domestic partnerNichola Samponaro (since 2021)
EducationWesleyan University (BA)
University of Chicago (JD)
Yale University (MA)
OccupationPolitician, attorney, advocate

Alexandra Veronica Kasser Mochary (born May 4, 1967) is an American politician, attorney and advocate who served as a member of the Connecticut State Senate for the 36th district from 2019 to 2021. Connecticut's 36th district covers Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan. She is a member of the Democratic Party and was the first Democrat to be elected to this seat since 1933.[2]

Early life and education

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Kasser was born Alexandra Veronica Mochary on May 4, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois, the first of two children of Mary Mochary (née Kasser; b. 1942), an attorney and former mayor of Montclair, New Jersey and Republican nominee for United States Senate in 1984, and Stephen E. Mochary (1940-2001), an attorney and federal judge.[3] Her younger brother is Matt Mochary. Her maternal grandparents immigrated to the United States at the end of World War II originally being from Hungary.

Kasser received her bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University in 1988. In 1993, she received a Juris Doctor from University of Chicago Law School a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from Yale University in 2014. In that same year, Kasser became a candidate for a PhD at Yale University.[4]

Career

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Kasser practiced corporate law at the firm of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.[5]

In the 2018 election, Kasser, a political newcomer, defeated five-term Republican incumbent, Scott Frantz, becoming the first Democrat to represent Greenwich in the State Senate since 1930,[5] and the first Democrat to win the 36th Senate district since 1933.[2] Kasser won by about 600 votes.[6] In 2020, Kasser won re-election by a margin of about 1,100 votes.[7]

Kasser's committee assignments included Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Chair of the Banking Committee, Vice Chair of the Transportation Committee, and membership on the Environment Committee, Public Health Committee, Legislative Regulation and Review Committee and the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee. She was also a Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate.[8][better source needed]

In the State Senate, Kasser led a failed effort to re-install tolls on Connecticut's state highways,[9] and create an Infrastructure Bank in Connecticut.[10] Kasser introduced a bill providing tax credits to employers who make payments on employee's student loans.[11] An amended version of the bill was passed in the State Senate in May 2019,[11] and signed into law by governor Ned Lamont the following month.[12]

Kasser was a proponent Paid Family Medical Leave,[13][better source needed] a living wage,[citation needed][clarification needed] and eliminating the state’s estate tax.[citation needed]

In 2021, Kasser introduced Jennifers’ Law, which legally redefines domestic violence to include coercive control.[14] The law includes multiple protections for victims of domestic violence and their children, including the ability to access free legal help, change locks in rental units and apply for restraining orders if they’ve experienced coercive control. In a section that addresses custody matters, the law adds “physical and emotional safety of the child” as the first factor to be considered by judges and Guardian Ad Litems. They must also consider “the effect on the child of the actions of an abuser if any domestic violence, as defined in 46b1 (which now includes coercive control) has occurred between the parents." Jennifers’ Law is named in honor of Jennifer Dulos, a New Canaan woman living in Kasser's district, who disappeared after a dispute with her husband, Fotis Dulos, and Jennifer Magnano, who was shot and killed by her husband in front of her children.[14][15][16]

Divorce and resignation

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On June 22, 2021, Kasser announced her resignation from public office, saying that her ability to do her job was impeded by ongoing divorce litigation with Seth Bergstein.[17][18]

She was succeeded by Republican Ryan Fazio.[19]

Personal life

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After filing for divorce, Kasser began dating her current partner, Nichola Samponaro, a political consultant and Realtor who grew up in Greenwich, CT. Samponaro volunteered as Kasser’s 2018 and 2020 campaign manager and briefly worked as her Chief of Staff in 2018.[20]

Non-profit involvement

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From 2012-2016 Kasser was Chairman of the Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health Center board, an organization dedicated to advancing research on the environmental and epigenetic causes of children’s diseases including cancer. Kasser is the founder of The Parity Partnership, a non-profit dedicated to advancing gender equality in the public and private sectors. She was also Chairman of Greenwich Community Gardens and has served on various boards dedicated to helping children, such as Kids in Crisis.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Mahony, Edward H. (August 10, 2021). "A signed, Jackson Pollock collage has become a point of contention in former state Sen. Alex Kasser's long-running divorce". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Vollmer, Christina Fagerstal, Chair, New Canaan DTC, joined by Kathleen Corbet, Kit Devereaux, Colm Dobbyn, Liz Donovan, Lisa Hannich, Gerry Harrington, Angela Jameson, Richard Lurie, Nick Mitrakis, Fatou Niang, Bob Smith, and Ed (2020-08-18). "New Canaan Democrats support Kasser". New Canaan Advertiser. Retrieved 2022-01-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Upi (1984-11-13). "THE REGION; Mochary's Spouse Gets Transplant". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  4. ^ a b "Who I am". Alex4CT. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  5. ^ a b "Yes, there will be a Democratic state senator from Greenwich". The CT Mirror. December 31, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  6. ^ Borsuk, Ken (2018-11-06). "Bergstein wins in upset of Frantz in 36th District race". GreenwichTime. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  7. ^ Marchant, Robert; Borsuk, Ken (2020-11-05). "Fazio concedes to Kasser in 36th Senate District". GreenwichTime. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  8. ^ "Alex Kasser". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  9. ^ Hamad, Michael (12 January 2021). "Democrats introduce new tolls bill, but Gov. Ned Lamont and others have repeatedly said they're moving forward after battling for months without passage". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 2021-11-07. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  10. ^ Cook, Lawrence (2019-02-15). "Sen. Bergstein: It's Time To Invest In Connecticut With An Infrastructure Bank". Connecticut Senate Democrats. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  11. ^ a b Cook, Lawrence (2019-05-28). "State Senate Passes Student Loan Debt Relief Legislation". Connecticut Senate Democrats. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  12. ^ "Connecticut Enacts Broad Tax Changes During 2019 Legislative Session" (PDF). Deloitte. 2019-07-25. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  13. ^ greenwichfreepress (20 October 2020). "LETTER: Four Reasons to Re-Elect Senator Alex Kasser". Greenwich Free Press. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  14. ^ a b Murdock, Zach (2021-03-24). "Survivors of domestic violence urge Connecticut lawmakers to pass reforms named for Jennifer Farber Dulos, Jennifer Magnano". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  15. ^ O'Neill, Tara (2021-08-22). "'The silent killer': How coercive control shaped Jennifer Magnano's children's lives". CT Insider. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  16. ^ Fortuna, Angela (29 June 2021). "Governor Signs 'Jennifer's Law,' Expanding Definition of Domestic Violence in Conn". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  17. ^ "Alex Kasser". Medium. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  18. ^ Pazniokas, Mark (2021-06-22). "Citing divorce fight, Alex Kasser resigns from the CT Senate". CT Mirror. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  19. ^ "Ryan Fazio wins special election for Greenwich state Senate seat". fox61.com. 18 August 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  20. ^ Mangan, Dan (2021-06-22). "Connecticut state Sen. Alex Kasser resigns, blames bitter divorce battle waged by Morgan Stanley executive husband". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
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