Theodore Kanavas | |
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Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 33rd district |
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In office 2001–2011 |
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Preceded by | Margaret Farrow |
Succeeded by | Rich Zipperer |
Personal details | |
Born | April 29, 1961 |
Political party | Republican |
Residence | Brookfield, Wisconsin |
Profession | businessman |
Theodore "Ted" Kanavas (born April 29, 1961) is an American politician and former member of the Wisconsin State Senate, representing the state's thirty-third district. He is a member of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
Kanavas was raised in Brookfield, Wisconsin and graduated from Brookfield East High School. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1983. While attending the school, Kanavas worked as an aide to Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner. Kanavas subsequently attended Pepperdine University's school of law.
For the past seventeen years Kanavas has worked in the software industry.
Kanavas was elected to the school board for Elmbrook School District in 1999 and served until 2002. In July 2001, he was elected to the State Senate in a special election, defeating Democrat Dawn Marie Sass, and he was re-elected in 2002. He also won re-election in 2006 defeating Democratic candidate Andrew Stiffler by nearly 25,000 votes.
While in the State Senate, Kanavas focused on job creation and economic development. He sponsored the Broadband Deployment Act, the Angel Investment tax credits (known as Act 255) and the Film Wisconsin tax credit bill allowing movie and television production companies to claim a tax credit for work done in Wisconsin.
On January 25, 2010, Kanavas announced he would not seek reelection.