Diane Farrell
| Diane Farrell | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 10, 1955 New Rochelle, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Winslow Farrell Jr. |
| Children | Two daughters |
| Residence | Westport, Connecticut |
| Religion | Congregationalist |
| Website | Farrell for Congress |
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.
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).
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.
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.
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