Diane Farrell

Updated on Dec 05, 2023

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Political party Democratic Website Farrell for Congress Spouse(s) Winslow Farrell Jr. Name Diane Farrell		Children Two daughters Role American Politician Religion Congregationalist Party Democratic Party


Born August 10, 1955 (age 68) New Rochelle, New York ( 1955-08-10 ) Residence Westport, Connecticut, United States Education Women's Campaign School, Wheaton College

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Diane Farrell (born August 10, 1955) is an American politician who was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Connecticut's 4th congressional district in 2004 and 2006.

She was appointed by Pres. George W. Bush to become a member of the Board of Directors of the Export Import Bank of the U.S. and confirmed by the United States Senate on August 1, 2007 for a term ending on January 20, 2011.

Farrell is a former elementary school teacher who later worked in the advertising industry and first became engaged in school politics when her children entered the public schools in Westport, Connecticut. Prior to running for elective office, she attended the Women's Campaign School at Yale University.

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Personal data

A native of New Rochelle, New York, Diane Catherine Goss was three years old when her family moved to Westport in 1958. She graduated from Massachusetts' Wheaton College with a major in American Government and a minor in elementary education in 1977. In 1978, she married Karr Winslow Farrell, Jr. They have two daughters, Hilary (born 1983) and Margaret (born 1986).

Political career

Diane Farrell served two terms as Westport's First Selectwoman, a position equivalent to that of Mayor. She was first elected in 1997 with 59% of the vote and was reelected, with 70% of the vote, in 2001. Farrell's campaign website says she was elected to office on both occasions with the support not only of her fellow Democrats, but also a significant group of independents and Republicans. In 2002, she was elected chair of Fairfield County's South Western Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization, which is responsible for managing development and sprawl.

Town administration

Under Farrell's administration, Westport invested in new schools and a new senior center, but according to The Westport News, during the same period it also had the highest tax rate in the state of Connecticut. The New York Times reported that Shays faulted Farrell for allowing Westport's property taxes to double in seven years. Farrell said that the town had the eighth lowest property tax rate in Connecticut, with "a lot to show for that money in the form of new schools and a new senior center". During her term, the town's real property revaluation (required by Connecticut law) had to be postponed due to a six-year backlog in assessments.

2004

Farrell announced that she would challenge 17-year incumbent Republican Christopher Shays for the representation of Connecticut's fourth congressional district. Farrell's campaign received much less national attention than that concentrated on Melissa Bean's campaign to unseat House Dean Phil Crane. Though her campaign was arguably aggressive, she lost the seat by about four percent. However, she was widely regarded as having made considerable progress, as she won towns beside traditionally Democratic blue-collar Bridgeport. She also barely won her home town of Westport, as well as Stamford and Norwalk, but was narrowly defeated in several others.

Diane Farrell decided against running again for the post of First Selectwoman of the Town of Westport, and filed papers with the Federal Elections Commission to raise funds for a 2006 congressional run.

2006

On November 7, 2006, incumbent Representative Christopher Shays defeated Diane Farrell by a margin of approximately 3%. The final tally was 106,558 (51%) for Shays, 99,993 (48%) for Farrell. This was comparable to the result in 2004, when Farrell also received 48% of the vote.