Senate Honors Retiring Lawmakers [Capitol Watch]

Article as it appeared in Capitol Watch

The state senate paused lengthy debate on a fracking ban bill Monday to honor two retiring members of the chamber.

Democrat Sen. Edward Meyer, from Guilford, and Republican Sen. Jason Welch, who represents the district that includes his hometown of Bristol, both are among six legislators leaving the senate after this session. In a General Assembly tradition, a number of their colleagues gave floor speeches Monday thanking them for their service in the legislature.

Meyer first was elected to the General Assembly in 2004, after serving in the New York legislature. He turns 80 in September, and will retire after half-a-century in public service that began when Robert Kennedy appointed him as a federal prosecutor. Ted Kennedy Jr., a Branford resident, announced earlier this year that he would run to fill Meyer’s vacant seat. Lawmakers Monday praised Meyer for his service, mentioning his accomplishments ranging from his successful tennis career to his work in state government. They joked about his tie collection and his decision to wear a tie with rats on it as the 2014 legislative session winds to a close.

“Ed Meyer, you have seen the arc of the universe bend toward justice. As a public servant you have helped in this fight for justice,” Senate President Pro Tempore Don Williams said. Meyer spoke about stumbling into his career in Connecticut politics, saying he left New York intending to go into a teaching career. He dominated the senate floor during one of his final days as a lawmaker, answering hours of questions about the fracking ban bill that he sponsored as chairman of the environmental committee.

Sen. Welch, meanwhile, is leaving the senate after just one two terms. The father of seven children, all of whom are home-schooled, Welch is leaving to focus on his family – and legislators praised him for that decision.

“I’m very proud of the decision you’ve made,” said Sen. Minority Leader John McKinney. But, McKinney said there would be a time in the future when, “you’re going to get a phone call saying ‘hey jason, it’s time to run for office again.”

Meyer, who has six children, joked to Welch, “I am so competitive…I’m going to go home and ask Patty Ann about a seventh.”

Sen. Scott Franz said he would miss Welch’s sense of humor, saying he was “like a sniper hiding in the woods…every once in a while a zinger comes down.”

“I really thank you for your very very kind and humbling words…it’s been a wonderful experience to serve with you all and policy aside you guys are wonderful people,” Welch said. The lawmaker previously served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and the army national guard.

“Though we might disagree on issues, we all have the same common goal,” he said.