Senate Republican Office to Welcome New Budget Director, Melissa Ziobron
December 11, 2018Today, Senate Republican President Pro Tempore Len Fasano (R-North Haven) and Deputy Senate Republican President Pro Tempore Kevin Witkos (R-Canton) announced the hiring of Melissa Ziobron, currently a state representative, as the Senate Republican Office’s budget director. Ziobron’s employment with the Senate Republican Office will begin following the end of her term as state representative.
“We are very excited to welcome Melissa Ziobron to the Senate Republican Office where she will serve as budget director, assisting lawmakers in developing state budget policies. Melissa has previously served as ranking member of the state’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee where she has demonstrated incredible work ethic and deep knowledge of the state’s finances. She knows the state budget inside and out and understands a budget is more than just numbers – every part of a budget impacts people. She knows what services we need to protect and what taxes our residents cannot afford. Melissa has a strong record of working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to develop economic policies, and she was a major force behind the state’s recent historic bipartisan budgets that have resulted in surpluses in the current year today. As we look ahead to tackling bigger financial issues on the horizon, Melissa is the perfect candidate to assist our caucus in our efforts to move Connecticut in a new direction and bring confidence back to our state. She has the skills, knowledge and passion to serve. Melissa is excited to continue working to better Connecticut and residents across the state and we are thrilled to welcome her to our office,” said Fasano and Witkos.
Sen. Fasano and Sen. Witkos also congratulated departing budget director Lisa Hammersley on her new position working for the Connecticut School Finance Project.
“Lisa is one of the most talented and hardworking people our caucus has ever had the privilege of working with. Her work for the Senate Republican Office over the last 8 years has been phenomenal, developing budgets that reflect our efforts to protect funding for core services and avoid tax increases. Lisa has worked well with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and is one of the most respected employees in the General Assembly. In her new role she will continue to serve the people of Connecticut developing and influencing state budget policy. The entire Senate Republican Caucus cannot thank her enough for her many years of service and we all wish her the best as she continues to apply her skills to serve our state,” said Witkos and Fasano.
Sen. Fasano added: “On a personal note, in my view Lisa has changed the budget dynamics at the state Capitol like no one else for the betterment of Connecticut. I believe she is one of the top two people in our state when it comes to knowledge about the budget. She is bright, committed and has put in immeasurable time, energy and talent to help improve our state. Her outstanding work gave me the confidence to lead our caucus on the state budget, and her work has truly bettered Connecticut.”