William Tong
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| William Tong | |
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Connecticut Representative from the 147th District
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| In office 2007 – present |
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| Preceded by | Donald Sherer |
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| Constituency | represents Stamford, New Cannan |
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Former Commissioner of the Personnel Commission of the City of Stamford, Connecticut
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| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Tong |
| Children | Eleanor Ming Lan Tong |
| Residence | Stamford, CT |
| Alma mater | Brown University, University of Chicago Law School |
William Tong was elected to the Connecticut General Assembly in November 2006. He presently serves the 147th District, representing parts of Stamford and New Canaan, USA. This seat has been held by such notables as Congressman Christopher Shays and present Lt. Governor Michael Fedele. Geographically the 147th is the largest district in Stamford, and includes Westover, North Stamford, Scofieldtown, as well as the western side of New Canaan. Representative Tong serves on the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce committees.
Representative Tong is the first Asian American to serve in Connecticut's General Assembly, and the first Asian American to be elected at the state level in Connecticut's history.
He is also a contributor on a public policy blog for Mayor Dan Malloy (D-Stamford).
Representative Tong was the first Connecticut legislator to endorse Senator Barack Obama for President [1].
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[edit] Family history
With less than a dollar to his name, William's father, Ady, came to Hartford, CT to look for work as a cook in a Chinese restaurant. It was there that Ady met William’s mother Nancy, and together, they put William and his four sisters through school.
William attended public and private schools in West Hartford. He graduated from Phillips Academy Andover, and later studied at Brown University and The University of Chicago Law School, under the tutelage of Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.
[edit] Professional career
Representative Tong is an Associate Counsel at the prestigious law firm of Finn Dixon & Herling. Prior, Representative Tong was an attorney with the international law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, and a Management Consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He is a member of the state bars of New York and Connecticut, and practices before both state and federal courts. He formerly served as a Commissioner on the Personnel Commission of the City of Stamford, and is a member of the Board of Directors for the social services organization, Person-to-Person.
[edit] Legislative Efforts
Representative Tong has received acclaim for his role in enacting legislation to strengthen gun-control laws and has most recently been praised for authoring language that would create an electronic database that would track biographical information, vital statistics, and tracking information for criminal offenders and former offenders still living[2]. Tong has also been quoted as saying that the program could be used to reduce recidivism by tracking employment and other potential "at risk" indicators.
Representative Tong has been at the forefront of efforts to eliminate "zone pricing" of gasoline in Connecticut. Recently Tong has taken on "big oil" by proposing a measure that would have required oil transporters and suppliers to disclose detailed price data to the state for analysis to ensure that consumers were not being gouged at the pump. This legislation was developed after Tong questioned three Quinnipiac University professors about a study that they had conducted at the behest of "big oil". The study found that price fluxuations were a result of normal market trends. When Tong requested that the data used in the study be disclosed, the professors refused and followed by claiming that the data has been destroyed.
Representative Tong has also introduced legislation aimed at protecting citizens, voters and families from abusive, misleading, and intrusive use of "robocalls" to support a political candidate or advance a political cause. He recently testified before a legislative committee that, "Calls that mislead voters or citizens on elections or important matters of public policy do substantial harm to our democratic process and freedoms. Calls that are made in the middle of the night or early morning, in an effort to harass and disturb people who need sleep and solicitude—such as working people, children, senior citizens, and the sick and infirm—do not constitute the free exercise of political speech, but are instead a malicious threat to public safety and security."
Representative Tong recently celebrated the passage of a piece of legislation that creates a state Asian Pacific American (APA) Affairs Commission. As one of the fastest growing communities in the country, the commission will focus on the specific needs of the Asian Pacific American community in Connecticut. It would serve as a resource for the General Assembly, the Governor, and other executive branch agencies related to social, educational, health, economic development and civil rights concerns and interests to the APA community. The bill awaits the Governor's signature.
Locally, Representative Tong worked with Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy and the Sustainable Stamford Task Force [3] to develop and host the "Stamford Energy Expo" on May 20, 2008. The event educated residents about alternative energy and residential solutions to help reduce energy costs, conserve, fight global warming, and transition to alternative and renewable energy at home.
[edit] Personal life
William is married to his law school classmate and colleague, Elizabeth Tong, who is a corporate tax lawyer. On February 23, 2006, William and Elizabeth welcomed their first child, Eleanor Ming Lan Tong, into the world. They share a home with two fox terriers in North Stamford.
[edit] Sources
[edit] References
- ^ http://danmalloy.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/obamaendorsement-00481294.pdf
- ^ See Stamford Advocate 11/26/07 link
- ^ stamford times - Mayor Dannel Malloy commentary — Cool and green in 2020
[edit] External links
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| Preceded by Donald B. Sherer |
Connecticut Representative from the One Hundred and Forty Seventh District 2007–present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
