Rep. Quentin Williams, D-Middletown, was 1 of the two drivers killed in a fiery two-car or truck crash at 12:48 a.m. Thursday on Route 9 in Cromwell, legislators reported.
Identification of the victims was pending autopsies, but the car that collided with a erroneous-way driver in close proximity to the Cromwell-Middletown line belonged to Williams, legislative and legislation enforcement resources stated. On that basis, his wife Carrissa was notified at 5 a.m. of the incident.
Residence Democratic leaders stated at 10:15 a.m. the family was confirming his dying.
Williams, 39, experienced attended the governor’s inaugural ball in Hartford and was returning household. He took the oath of workplace for his 3rd term Wednesday, the first working day of the Common Assembly session.
Legislative business was canceled Thursday, which include the organizational assembly of the Labor and General public Personnel Committee, the panel that Dwelling Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, not too long ago named him to co-chair.
Ritter and Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, mentioned the Capitol and Legislative Business office Developing would be shut until finally Monday.
Gov. Ned Lamont directed that state flags be flown at 50 {c024931d10daf6b71b41321fa9ba9cd89123fb34a4039ac9f079a256e3c1e6e8} employees in Williams’ honor.
“This is devastating news, and I am unbelievably saddened by this tragedy,” Lamont said.
Point out law enforcement stated Williams’ car or truck was touring in the remaining lane on the southbound facet of Route 9 close to exit 18 when a car or truck heading north struck Williams’ auto head on. Williams’ vehicle was fully engulfed in flames.
The other motor vehicle was uncovered in the grass center median. Both equally motorists have been pronounced dead at the scene.
Williams, a preferred figure amid his colleagues, was acknowledged at the Capitol merely as “Q.” His title was Quentin Phipps when elected in 2018, but he took on his maternal surname of Williams in 2022 to honor his mother, Queen, who lifted him as a solitary mom.
“I am in shock,” Ritter said. “Q was my dear mate, and I am scarred by his sudden loss. We will have time to replicate on Q as a legislator in the weeks to arrive, but appropriate now I deeply mourn my pal and mail all of my appreciate to Carrissa, Queen and Q’s relatives. We will all pass up Q.”
“Rep. Williams was an astounding human being. His infectious smile could promptly make a tough working day better,” said House The vast majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford. “He was an remarkable partner, friend and colleague. He loved neighborhood and serving other people. Really — a buddy to all who realized him. This is a horrible tragedy and a great loss to our condition. My coronary heart goes out to his wife, household, and all who liked Q. We will overlook him.”
Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, said Williams was “a trailblazer, the first Black point out agent at any time elected in Middletown.” Lesser had been pals with Williams considering the fact that each were being lively in Younger Democrats.
“He’s been a friend and ally ever considering that,” Lesser explained.
Williams succeeded Lesser in the Dwelling, when Lesser ran for point out Senate. Lesser explained he urged Williams to make the go. “It did not have to have considerably arm twisting,” he claimed.
Williams manufactured the nominating speech for Lesser when he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic endorsement for secretary of the point out at the point out convention previous calendar year. They were being collectively at the inaugural ball.
Rep. Christine Palm, D-Chester, a close pal, stated Williams’ passing was tricky to fathom.
“He was these an embodiment of everyday living,” she reported. “This isn’t authentic.”
[Read Palm’s Viewpoints piece about Williams: “On ‘Q’ — Rescuing us from our ignorance and smallness”]
Williams was co-chair of the Getting old Committee at the start out of the 2021-22 session then took more than as Housing Committee co-chair following the resignation of Rep. Brandon McGee. He was appointed to the article on Labor for the existing session.
Rep. Geoff Luxenberg, D-Manchester, who succeeded Williams as Housing co-chair, claimed the tributes will be numerous, but finally inadequate.
“No statement from any close friend, colleague, politician or person will ever be capable to seize in words his humility, his passion for justice, or his zeal for life,” Luxenberg mentioned. “When Q laughed — his one particular-of-a-variety booming laugh — you felt his pleasure deep in your soul. When he smiled, the home lit up. When he spoke, absolutely everyone listened.”
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who also is from Middletown, mentioned, “Q was an individual you desired to be all around, often exuding positivity and contentment.”
Looney and Senate Bulk Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, named his demise “utterly shocking.”
The expressions of grief arrived from all corners of community lifetime as term of his demise unfold. Several of the tributes came from individuals who have been with him at the inaugural ball.
“Today the people today of Connecticut dropped an advocate. Q’s unrelenting devotion to generate a far more equitable Connecticut for all set the normal for all community officials,” mentioned Secretary of the Condition Stephanie Thomas, who served with him in the Property. “I am blessed to have been in a position to simply call Q a friend. I will skip his enthusiasm and electrical power, and I grieve with his family and all who understood him.”
Alan Cavagnaro, a scheduling and zoning commissioner who interned for Williams last session on housing issues, claimed his past conversation with the lawmaker was at the inaugural ball.
“He began talking, and everybody commenced wanting at him,” Cavagnaro claimed. “We were speaking about housing policy coming up in Connecticut this calendar year. He was thrilled.”
Ed Hawthorne and Shellye Davis, the president and government vice president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, experienced a identical come upon.
“Just final night, we talked with Q at the inaugural ball, and he was genuine to type — brimming with constructive strength and a major smile that lit up the room,” Hawthorne and Davis said in a joint assertion. “Q was not only an unbelievable advocate for his constituents in Middletown but for all working folks throughout Connecticut. We had been extremely considerably on the lookout forward to doing work with him as the new Residence Chair of the Labor & General public Workers Committee.”
Williams was a graduate of Middletown community educational institutions and had a enterprise degree from Bryant College and master’s of general public administration from Villanova. He was pursuing scientific tests at the Harvard Kennedy College of Federal government.
CT Mirror workers writer Ginny Monk contributed to this story.
