John Fonfara

John W. Fonfara (born December 1, 1955) is an American politician serving as a member of the Connecticut State Senate for the 1st district.

John W. Fonfara
Member of the Connecticut State Senate from the 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1997
Preceded by	William A. DiBella
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 6th district
In office January 1987 – January 1997
Succeeded by	Art Feltman
Personal details
Born	(1955-12-01) December 1, 1955 (age 69) Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of Connecticut (BA) Trinity College (MPP)

Early life and education

Fonfara was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut and attended Hartford Public Schools. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Arts in Public Policy from Trinity College.^[1][2]

Career

Fonfara served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1987 to 1997. Elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 1996, he also serves as deputy majority leader. His district includes Hartford and Wethersfield. Since 2017, Fonfara has served as co-chair of the Senate Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, which manages Connecticut's budget.^[3] In 2019, Fonfara proposed legislation that would establish a state commission to fund toll roads.^[4] Fonfara also serves as vice chair of the Senate General Law Committee.^[5]

On January 9, 2023, Fonfara announced his candidacy in the Hartford mayoral election, vying to succeed the retiring Luke Bronin.^[6] He lost the primary election to Arunan Arulampalam.^[7]