Quentin Williams

Quentin S. "Q" Williams (né Phipps; November 24, 1983 – January 5, 2023) was an American politician of the Democratic Party. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, representing the 100th district in Middlesex County from 2019 until his death in 2023.

Quentin Williams
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
from the 100th district
In office
January 9, 2019 – January 5, 2023
Preceded byMatt Lesser
Succeeded byKai Belton
Personal details
Born
Quentin W. Phipps

(1983-11-24)November 24, 1983[1]
Middletown, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedJanuary 5, 2023(2023-01-05) (aged 39)
Cromwell, Connecticut, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseCarrissa Phillippe
Alma mater

Career

In 2007, he was elected to the Middletown, Connecticut Planning & Zoning Commission. Williams was unanimously made chair of the commission two years later. Williams was elected as Middletown Treasurer in 2011 and re-elected in 2015.[2]

He was the director of policy and advocacy for Excellence Community Schools, a charter school system in Stamford, Connecticut.[3]

Williams was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 2018 winning 61% of the vote over 39% for Republican candidate Anthony Gennaro.[4] He was re-elected in 2020 and 2022.[3] During the legislature's 2021–22 session, he co-chaired the committees on aging and housing. At the start of the 2023–24 session, he was set to co-chair the labor committee.[5] Williams was noted for his focus on housing issues.[3] In 2022, he authored a bill, which was successfully passed into law, leading to the formation of commissions to mediate disputes between tenants and renters in all Connecticut municipalities with a population of over 25,000.[6]

Personal life

Born Quentin Phipps, he changed his surname to Williams, his mother's last name, in 2022.[7] Williams was a graduate of Bryant University, where he studied business, and Villanova University, where he received a master's degree in public administration.[5] At the time of his death, he was enrolled at the Harvard Kennedy School.[5]

Williams lived in Middletown with his wife, the former Carrissa Phillippe.[8][5] He was a member of the Cross Street Zion AME Church in Middletown.[9]

Death

On January 4, 2023, Williams was sworn in for his third term in the legislature and attended inaugural festivities for reelected governor Ned Lamont in Hartford that evening.[10] At 12:48 a.m. on January 5, Williams was driving southbound on Connecticut Route 9 in Cromwell when a northbound vehicle entered the lane and struck his car head-on.[5] Williams and the northbound driver both died at the scene. Quentin Williams was just 39 years old.[11]

Electoral history
2011 Middletown City Treasurer Democratic primary election[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Quentin W. Phipps 1,585 68.61
Democratic J. Tina Massatta Raffa 725 31.39
Total votes 2,310 100.00
2011 Middletown City Treasurer election[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Quentin W. Phipps 4,612 55.38
Republican Jonathan Pulino 3,263 39.18
Petitioning Candidate J. Tina Massatta Raffa 453 5.44
Total votes 8,328 100.00
2015 Middletown City Treasurer election[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Quentin Phipps 5,449 65.52
Republican Emmakristina Sveen 2,868 34.48
Total votes 8,317 100.00
2018 Connecticut House of Representatives election, District 100[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Quentin W. Phipps 5,033 55.86
Working Families Quentin W. Phipps 443 4.92
Total Quentin W. Phipps 5,476 60.78
Republican Anthony Gennaro 3,534 39.22
Total votes 9,010 100.00
2020 Connecticut House of Representatives election, District 100[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Quentin Phipps 6,892 60.58
Working Families Quentin Phipps 539 4.74
Total Quentin Phipps 7,431 65.32
Republican Tony Gennaro 3,945 34.68
Total votes 11,376 100.00
2022 Connecticut House of Representatives election, District 100[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Quentin S. Williams 5,291 89.97
Working Families Quentin S. Williams 590 10.03
Total Quentin S. Williams 5,881 100.00
Total votes 5,881 100.00

References
  1. Information Summary – Fatal Collision RT 9 in Cromwell (Report). Connecticut State Police. January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  2. "Biography". State Representative Quentin "Q" Williams. Connecticut House Democrats. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  3. Yankowski, Peter; Brechlin, Dan (January 5, 2023). "CT lawmaker Quentin Williams killed in wrong-way crash in Cromwell after leaving inaugural ball". The Middletown Press. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  4. "Connecticut Election Results – Election Results 2018". The New York Times. November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  5. Pazniokas, Mark (January 5, 2023). "Rep. Quentin Williams presumed victim of wrong-way driver". The Connecticut Mirror. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  6. Day, Cassandra (July 10, 2022). "Middletown hopes to lead state in creation of state-required fair housing commission". The Middletown Press. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  7. Day, Cassandra (February 16, 2022). "Connecticut lawmaker changes last name to honor mother's heritage". The Middletown Press. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  8. Mavredakis, Mike; Keating, Christopher (January 5, 2023). "State Rep. Quentin Williams killed in wrong-way crash; 39-year-old rising star in legislature". Hartford Courant. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  9. Mitchell, Taylor Simone (January 5, 2023). "Connecticut lawmaker killed in tragic collision hours after being sworn in". Business Insider. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  10. Zraick, Karen (January 5, 2023). "Connecticut Lawmaker Killed in Crash After Inaugural Ball". The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  11. "A rising star in Connecticut politics dies in a collision with a wrong-way driver". NPR. Associated Press. January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  12. "September 13, 2011 Municipal Democratic Primary Machine and AB Totals" (PDF). Middletown, Connecticut. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  13. "November 8, 2011 Municipal Election Treasurer Board of Education Machine and AB Totals" (PDF). Middletown, Connecticut. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  14. "November 3, 2015 Muncipal Election Polls/Absentee/EDR Totals" (PDF). Middletown, Connecticut. p. 3. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  15. "2018 Nov 6 :: General Election :: State Representative :: District 100". electionhistory.ct.gov. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  16. "2020 Nov 3 :: General Election :: State Representative :: District 100". electionhistory.ct.gov. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  17. "2022 Nov 8 :: General Election :: State Representative :: District 100". electionhistory.ct.gov. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
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