Beth Bye
Encyclopedia
Beth Bye is an American politician
from Connecticut
. A Democrat
, she is a member of the Connecticut Senate
representing the 5th district, which includes parts of Bloomfield
and Farmington
, all of Burlington
and all of her hometown of West Hartford
. She formerly served two terms in the Connecticut House of Representatives
from 2007 to 2011.
A former Vice Chair of the West Hartford
School Board, she was elected to the legislature in November 2006. She defeated Republican
Barbara Carpenter, a member of the town council, by a margin of 57% to 43% and was therefore elected to succeed longtime Republican incumbent Bob Farr. Although the district had elected a Republican for the 26 years prior to her 2006 win, she nevertheless won re-election comfortably in 2008: Bye garnered 64% of the vote to her Republican opponent's 36%.
In May 2010, shortly after Sen. Jonathan Harris
(D-West Hartford) announced that he would not run for another term in the senate in order to seek the Democratic nomination for Secretary of the State, Bye declared her candidacy for his senate seat. She won the Democratic nomination unopposed and easily prevailed against a Republican opponent. She took office as a state senator on January 5, 2011.
Bye is a long-time resident of West Hartford and was first elected to the school board in 2001. She is the former director of Trinity College Community Child Care and the School for Young Children at Saint Joseph College. Beth has been involved with the development of 3 preschool facilities since 2000: The School for Young Children in West Hartford, The Charter School for Young Children in Hartford and The Wintonbury Early Childhood Magnet School in Bloomfield.
Bye is an alumna of the University of New Hampshire
where she earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in Child Development, specializing in child care research. She continues to conduct research about the impact of economic integration with Dr. Carlota Schechter. Their research was published on Early Childhood Research Quarterly in March 2007 and was featured in the newsletter of the National Institute for Early Education Research in July 2007.
A lesbian
, Bye married her partner Tracey Wilson on November 12, 2008. They were the first gay couple to be married in Connecticut. Dr. Wilson is the West Hartford town historian and the couple live with their four children in West Hartford. Bye is one of two openly gay
members of the Connecticut General Assembly
, serving alongside Sen. Andrew M. Maynard
(D-Stonington
). Bye had been the first member of the legislature to enter into a civil union. Her 2006 and 2008 campaigns won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
.
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, she is a member of the Connecticut Senate
Connecticut Senate
The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 94,600 inhabitants. Senators are elected to two-year terms without term limits...
representing the 5th district, which includes parts of Bloomfield
Bloomfield, Connecticut
Bloomfield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,626 at the 2009 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and 0.2 square miles is water.Bloomfield is bordered by Windsor to the...
and Farmington
Farmington, Connecticut
Farmington is a town located in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 25,340 at the 2010 census. It is home to the world headquarters of several large corporations including Carrier Corporation, Otis Elevator Company, and Carvel...
, all of Burlington
Burlington, Connecticut
Burlington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States.Situated at the foot of the Berkshires and bordering the Farmington River, Burlington is a scenic hill town, rural in nature, located west of Hartford. Incorporated in 1806, the population was 8,190 at the 2000 census. Burlington...
and all of her hometown of West Hartford
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
. She formerly served two terms in the Connecticut House of Representatives
Connecticut House of Representatives
The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing nearly 22,600 residents...
from 2007 to 2011.
A former Vice Chair of the West Hartford
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
School Board, she was elected to the legislature in November 2006. She defeated Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The 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 GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Barbara Carpenter, a member of the town council, by a margin of 57% to 43% and was therefore elected to succeed longtime Republican incumbent Bob Farr. Although the district had elected a Republican for the 26 years prior to her 2006 win, she nevertheless won re-election comfortably in 2008: Bye garnered 64% of the vote to her Republican opponent's 36%.
In May 2010, shortly after Sen. Jonathan Harris
Jonathan Harris (politician)
Jonathan A. Harris is an American politician. Harris, a Democrat, served as a state senator from Connecticut's Fifth District from 2005 to 2011. In March 2011, Harris was appointed Deputy Treasurer of the State of Connecticut....
(D-West Hartford) announced that he would not run for another term in the senate in order to seek the Democratic nomination for Secretary of the State, Bye declared her candidacy for his senate seat. She won the Democratic nomination unopposed and easily prevailed against a Republican opponent. She took office as a state senator on January 5, 2011.
Bye is a long-time resident of West Hartford and was first elected to the school board in 2001. She is the former director of Trinity College Community Child Care and the School for Young Children at Saint Joseph College. Beth has been involved with the development of 3 preschool facilities since 2000: The School for Young Children in West Hartford, The Charter School for Young Children in Hartford and The Wintonbury Early Childhood Magnet School in Bloomfield.
Bye is an alumna of the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
where she earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in Child Development, specializing in child care research. She continues to conduct research about the impact of economic integration with Dr. Carlota Schechter. Their research was published on Early Childhood Research Quarterly in March 2007 and was featured in the newsletter of the National Institute for Early Education Research in July 2007.
A lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, Bye married her partner Tracey Wilson on November 12, 2008. They were the first gay couple to be married in Connecticut. Dr. Wilson is the West Hartford town historian and the couple live with their four children in West Hartford. Bye is one of two openly gay
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
members of the Connecticut General Assembly
Connecticut General Assembly
The Connecticut General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. There are no term limits for either chamber.During...
, serving alongside Sen. Andrew M. Maynard
Andrew M. Maynard
Andrew M. Maynard is an American politician from Connecticut. A Democrat, he is a member of the Connecticut State Senate representing the state's 18th district....
(D-Stonington
Stonington, Connecticut
The Town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut, in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Lords Point, Wequetequock, the eastern halves of the villages of Mystic and Old Mystic...
). Bye had been the first member of the legislature to enter into a civil union. Her 2006 and 2008 campaigns won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is an American political action committee dedicated to increasing the number of openly LGBT public officials in US political life.The Victory Fund was founded in 1991...
.