Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with the House the sad news of the loss of one of the State of Connecticut's finest public servants, former Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, of Tolland, Connecticut. The news of her sudden passing on August 12 was met with universal sorrow from all corners of her beloved State, from the political leaders on both sides of the aisle and from people of all walks of life with whom she worked, always trying to help, particularly those in need and those whose problems she fixed over and over again. Nancy's epic journey of public service began as a PTA mom in Tolland, advocating for high-quality public education at a time when her own kids were enrolled in Tolland's public schools. She was so effective that she was encouraged to run for a seat on the school board, which she did and won. That began an extraordinary string of political success that eventually took her to the highest levels of State government. In 1986, she ran for a vacant seat in the Connecticut House of Representatives in a district next door to where I live, and at the same time, coincidentally, I was also running as a first-time candidate. We both prevailed and the following January were assigned our desks in the Connecticut House Chamber next to each other, which began a long and fruitful friendship, both politically and personally. She shortly became chair of the Education Committee and presided over one of the most difficult, contested issues in the State, namely allocating public school funding. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, it is an issue where you cannot please all the people all the time. Nancy never shrank from this task, and because of her patience and basic decency in her interactions with all her colleagues, the final result of her tenacious effort always earned respect and support. She carried that trademark skill in her campaigns for statewide office, with her election as State comptroller in 1998 and her election as Lieutenant Governor in 2010. The office of comptroller is not always well understood by Connecticut voters, but it carries great responsibilities, including administering the largest health and pension plans in the State for active and retired State employees and their dependents. She, once again, bore down into the nitty-gritty of price negotiation with private vendors, promoting wellness programs for State workers and acquiring valuable knowledge of the private health insurance market. That experience came into good use when, as Lieutenant Governor, she was assigned the task of implementing the Affordable Care Act as it was rolled out in 2014. This was no easy lift. As many will painfully recall, the Federal ACA exchange, healthcare.gov, in 2014 was completely overwhelmed and took over a year before millions of Americans were finally connected to affordable health coverage. Connecticut, however, opted under the law to operate its own exchange and, under Nancy's experienced hands, designed and initiated a data system that was completely functional on day one. I remember well in 2014 going to enrollment fairs around the Second Congressional District and witnessing the successful completion of healthcare coverage for constituents who, in many cases because of preexisting medical conditions, had not been insured for most of their adult lives. For them, it was an emotional, life-changing event. Although Nancy was not physically present at all those fairs, there is no question that her handiwork created joy, and the impact and spirit of her service were in that room. Mr. Speaker, Nancy's successful stewardship of the ACA rollout was not her only achievement as Lieutenant Governor. She was truly a partner, not an acolyte, to Governor Dan Malloy. Their passage of the Connecticut State budget in 2017, with fiscal guardrails, established the pathway to budget stability that reversed decades of chronic deficits into a string of surpluses and has completely transformed Connecticut's public finances into positive territory. Her record in public service, though, was not only defined by good administration and policy but also by the way she carried herself in high position, showing respect and empathy to all that she ever came into contact with. It didn't matter whether a person was a constituent or not, or what political party they belonged to, she was warm and polite and found ways to build connections and, in most cases, friendships. It goes without saying, her example is a powerful one, in 2026, when polarization and political tribalism is far too prevalent. She did, however, show favoritism, and that was to her beautiful family: her husband, Michael, of 59 years; her two daughters, Stacey Papa and Meryl Baldwin, and their husbands, Steve and Bill; their five grandchildren; and many more relations who are carrying a heavy burden of grief because of her passing. They did have great support on August 16th when hundreds and hundreds of her admirers and friends showed up at her wake, expressing their love and appreciation for the contributions Nancy's family made to her impactful life. I particularly thank the town manager of Tolland, Brian Foley, who showed so much care and compassion to help Nancy's family. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in a similar recognition and express our condolences to Nancy's family for their loss.
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