John H. Frey (born February 8, 1963) is an American real estate broker, businessman and politician. A member of the
Republican Party, he served as a member of the
Connecticut House of Representatives
The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an ...
for the 111th district from 1999 to 2021.
Early life and education
Frey was born in
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...
, and raised in
Ridgefield. A graduate of
Ridgefield High School, he attended
Western Connecticut State University
Western Connecticut State University (WCSU and WestConn) is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut. It was founded in 1903 as a teacher's college and is part of the Connecticut State University System.
WCSU consists of four schools: the Anc ...
.
Career
Frey served as a member of the Ridgefield Republican Town Committee from 1981 to 1998 and the Republican State Central Committee from 1989 to 2000.
Before winning election to the state House of Representatives, Frey was appointed chairman of the Connecticut Real Estate Commission in 1995 by former Governor
John G. Rowland
John Grosvenor Rowland (born May 24, 1957) is an American politician, author, and convicted felon who served as the 86th Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004. He served two nonconsecutive prison terms on various corruption charges. A Repu ...
. Frey held the distinct honor as the commission's youngest chairman in state history. Frey was also appointed 'government representative' for the
University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...
Business School Center for Real Estate and Economic Studies, a position he still holds.
Republican politics
In February 2007, Frey was elected as the Connecticut National Committeeman to the
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...
. He was re-elected to a four-year term in June 2008, a second full term in May 2012, third term in 2016 and a fourth term in June, 2020. Mr. Frey was appointed by RNC Chairman Michael Steele to the RNC Redistricting Committee, which is charged with planning for federal redistricting that begins after 2010. In July 2009, he was elected to the RNC Site Selection Committee. The eight member committee was charged with determining the site of the 2012 Republican National Convention (their recommendation of Tampa, Florida, was ratified by the Republican National Committee). Mr. Frey was appointed to the Committee on Arrangements, charged with the planning and oversight of the 2012 Republican National Convention. He has served on the RNC Rules Committee since 2007. He served as Sergeant-at-Arms of the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Frey was the 5th District coordinator for the
Bob Dole 1996 presidential campaign
The 1996 presidential campaign of Bob Dole began when Republican Senator Bob Dole formally announced his candidacy for Republican Party nomination in 1995. After beating other candidates in the primaries, he became the Republican nominee, with ...
and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, California, where he represented the state as a member of the Platform Committee. In 2004, for the third time he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention and again represented Connecticut on the Platform Committee, where he gained approval for language calling for a more transparent Indian tribe recognition process. He was a delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention and served on the Rules Committee.
Connecticut House of Representatives
Serving in his eleventh term as Ridgefield's chief advocate in
Hartford
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, Frey was appointed by the House
Minority Leader Themis Klarides to serve as Senior
Republican Whip
Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are ele ...
. He served on the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee; the Bank Committee and Legislative Management Committee. He also served on the state Aging Commission.
Frey has supported measures to improve education for students at all grade levels, to protect benefits of seniors and Veterans residing in Connecticut, to preserve consumers' rights, to reform state government, and to secure pristine areas of open space.
Frey has also been instrumental in securing state aid for local projects in Ridgefield, including the
Ridgefield Playhouse
The Ridgefield Playhouse is a theater located in Ridgefield, Connecticut, with a capacity of 500. It hosts a variety of entertainment events such as the showing of films, plays or musical performances.
History
The Ridgefield Playhouse was opened ...
, school construction and improvements, the Ridgefield Veterans Community Center, the
Aldrich Museum,
Tiger Hollow and the Ridgefield Boys & Girls Club. He is largely credited for gaining funding for the Bennetts Pond State Park.
In February 2008, the State Bond Commission approved $3.25 million to fund 12 unit expansion of Ballard Green senior housing and rehabilitation of 120 units of affordable and senior housing in Ridgefield. Connecticut Governor
M. Jodi Rell
Mary Carolyn "Jodi" Rell (née Reavis; born June 16, 1946) is an American former Republican politician and the 87th governor of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. Rell also served as the state's 105th lieutenant governor of Connecticut.
Rell was C ...
thanks Rep. John Frey for his perseverance in advocating for funding for the project. In October 2008, he secured an additional $640,000 to cover unanticipated funding shortfalls.
Later career
In June 2008, he was appointed by
President George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
to the
President's Commission on White House Fellows.
Ridgefield Republican Town Committee
- "Rep. Frey Appointed To Presidential Commission", June 10, 2008In June 2020, The White House announced that State Representative John H. Frey of Ridgefield was appointed by President Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
to serve on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Advisory may refer to:
* Advisory board, a body that provides advice to the management of a corporation, organization, or foundation
* Boil-water advisory, a public health directive given by government to consumers when a community's drinking wat ...
(ACHP).
Awards
*2009 Ridgefield Realtor of the Year
*2009 CT Republicans Frederick Biebel Lifetime Achievement Award
*2008 Legislator of the Year—CT Recreation and Parks Association
*2007 Champion of Youth—Ridgefield Boys and Girls Club
*2006 Larry Award—Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art
*2006 UCONN Advocate of the Year
*2005 Legislator of the Year—Mothers Against Drunk Driving
*2004 Citizen Award—Ridgefield Kiwanis
Endorsements
*2008 CT Professional Firefighters Association
*2008 CT Business and Industry Association
*2008 CT Association of Realtors
*2008 CT Education Association
*2008 CT League of Conservation Voters
*2008 CT Police Council #15
*2008 Ridgefield Police Association
*2008 Ridgefield Open Space Association
References
External links
Official Connecticut General Assembly Website
State Representative John H. Frey Website
House Republicans Website
White House Fellows Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frey, John H.
1963 births
Living people
Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives
People from Ridgefield, Connecticut
Republican National Committee members
21st-century American politicians