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General Assembly Senate Joint
Resolution No. 44
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 6224
Referred to Committee on NO COMMITTEE
Introduced by:
SEN. LOONEY, 11
th
Dist.
SEN. DUFF, 25
th
Dist.
SEN. KELLY, 21
st
Dist.
SEN. FORMICA, 20
th
Dist.
REP. RITTER M., 1
st
Dist.
REP. ROJAS, 9
th
Dist.
REP. CANDELORA, 86
th
Dist.
SEN. ANWAR, 3
rd
Dist.
SEN. BRADLEY, 23
rd
Dist.
SEN. CABRERA, 17
th
Dist.
SEN. CASSANO, 4
th
Dist.
SEN. COHEN, 12
th
Dist.
SEN. DAUGHERTY ABRAMS,
13
th
Dist.
SEN. FLEXER, 29
th
Dist.
SEN. FONFARA, 1
st
Dist.
SEN. HARTLEY, 15
th
Dist.
SEN. HASKELL, 26
th
Dist.
SEN. KASSER, 36
th
Dist.
SEN. KUSHNER, 24
th
Dist.
SEN. LESSER, 9
th
Dist.
SEN. LOPES, 6
th
Dist.
SEN. MARONEY, 14
th
Dist.
SEN. MCCRORY, 2
nd
Dist.
SEN. MILLER P., 27
th
Dist.
SEN. MOORE, 22
nd
Dist.
SEN. NEEDLEMAN, 33
rd
Dist.
SEN. OSTEN, 19
th
Dist.
SEN. SLAP, 5
th
Dist.
SEN. WINFIELD, 10
th
Dist.
RESOLUTION EXPRESSIN G SYMPATHY ON THE DE ATH OF
FORMER STATE SENATOR EDWIN A. GOMES.
Resolved by this Assembly:
WHEREAS, on Tuesday, December 22, 2020, the State of Connecticut, 1
the city of Bridgeport and the town of Stratford lost a distinguished and 2
beloved former State Senator with the passing of Edwin A. Gomes, at 3 Senate Joint Resolution No. 44
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the age of eighty-four; and 4
WHEREAS, he represented the 23rd senatorial district with 5
distinction for more than twelve years from 2005 through 2012, and 2015 6
through 2018; and 7
WHEREAS, he was born on February 25, 1936, in New Bedford, 8
Massachusetts and grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the eldest of 9
eighteen children; and 10
WHEREAS, he attended Bridgeport public schools and received an 11
honorable discharge from the United States Army; and 12
WHEREAS, he experienced racial segregation and participated in the 13
historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom during his time in 14
the United States Army; and 15
WHEREAS, he became a labor representative at Carpenter Steel upon 16
his return to Bridgeport, Connecticut after his honorable discharge from 17
the United States Army; and 18
WHEREAS, he served on the Bridgeport City Council from 1983 until 19
1989, and was elected again to the Bridgeport City Council in 1999 after 20
his retirement from the United Steelworkers of America; and 21
WHEREAS, during his tenure as a City Councilman, he advocated 22
for well-paying jobs, good schools, strong neighborhoods and seniors; 23
and 24
WHEREAS, he served for six terms as a State Senator, and served as 25
a chairperson of the Labor and Public Employees and Housing 26
Committees and vice-chairperson of the Aging and Veterans' Affairs 27
Committees; and 28
WHEREAS, he joined forces with the Brennan Center for Justice, the 29
Connecticut Citizen Action Group and Common Cause in 2002 to bring 30
a successful legal challenge to the state's discriminatory delegate 31
primary system; and 32 Senate Joint Resolution No. 44
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WHEREAS, as a member of the State Senate he supported legislation 33
to preserve jobs and vital services in Bridgeport, to promote home 34
ownership and owner-occupied housing in all Connecticut cities, to 35
repeal the death penalty and to reform the state's education system and 36
the state's pardon process; and 37
WHEREAS, he was recognized for his efforts to help reform the 38
state's pardon process by the Connecticut Pardon Team in 2012; and 39
WHEREAS, he earned a reputation as a proud representative of 40
workers and marginalized people and as a person of his word, and will 41
be remembered by his labor representative colleagues as a fighter of the 42
people, a maverick, a labor icon and a good friend; and 43
WHEREAS, he was a proud lifetime member of the National 44
Association for the Advancement of Colored People, member of the 45
Ashanti Men's Organization and founding member of the Greater 46
Bridgeport Black Democratic Club; and 47
WHEREAS, he displayed a profound love for the work accomplished 48
by the Connecticut General Assembly and the friendships that were 49
created during his time in the State Senate; and 50
WHEREAS, he is survived by his son, Edwin Gomes, Jr. and his 51
spouse Mary, his daughters, Victoria Whitfield and her spouse Kelvin, 52
Debra Brody, Donna Croom, and Doreen Milhouse and her spouse 53
Greg, his siblings, Johnny Aranjo and his spouse Pam, Carol Aranjo, 54
William Aranjo, Beatrice Ramos, Donald Ramos, Margarida Ramos, 55
Daniel Ramos, and Abel Ramos, and his thirteen grandchildren, 56
seventeen great grandchildren, six great-great-grandchildren, and 57
numerous nieces, nephews and cousins; and 58
WHEREAS, he was predeceased by his mother, Anna Gomes Aranjo 59
and her husband Joaquim Aranjo, his sister, MaryAnn Monteiro, his 60
brothers, Anthony Gomes, Joaquim Aranjo, Peter Aranjo, Joseph 61
Aranjo, Manuel Aranjo, Franklin Ramos, Gerald Ramos, Richard 62
Ramos, and Agusto Ramos, and his daughter, Elizabeth Sloan. 63 Senate Joint Resolution No. 44
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Connecticut General 64
Assembly expresses its sincere sympathy and heartfelt condolences on 65
the passing of one of its honorable members, Edwin A. Gomes, whose 66
death is a profound loss to the State Senate, his family and friends, the 67
residents of Bridgeport and Stratford and the entire state of Connecticut; 68
and 69
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the clerks of the House of 70
Representatives and the Senate cause a copy of this resolution to be sent 71
to the family of Edwin A. Gomes, as an expression of the high esteem 72
and affection in which he is held. 73