Thomas Scott
Tom Scott in blue shirt and dark jacket, looking down
Scott in 2010
Member of the Connecticut State Senate
from the 14th district
In office
January 7, 1981 – January 9, 1991
Preceded byJohn D. Prete
Succeeded byMax S. Case
Personal details
Born (1958-04-21) April 21, 1958 (age 66)
Connecticut
Occupation
  • Politician
  • radio show host
  • realtor

Thomas Scott (born April 21, 1958)[1] is an American politician, radio talk show host, and realtor.

Life and career

Born in 1958, Scott attended Southern Connecticut State University but did not graduate.[2]

He was first elected to the Connecticut Senate in 1980, becoming at 22 the youngest state senator ever seated.[3] He served in the Senate from 1981 to 1991 as a Republican from Milford.[2][4]

Scott was known for his vehement opposition to the income tax[5] and led a protest of 40,000 people against it in 1991.[3][6][7]

He sought a seat in the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut's 3rd congressional district in 1990, losing to Democrat Rosa DeLauro.[3][8] He then founded the Connecticut Taxpayers Committee.[3][9] Scott faced DeLauro in a re-match in 1992 and lost again.[10][11]

After leaving the state legislature, he worked as a real estate broker and, starting in 1993, a radio talk show host for WPOP.[12] He contested the 1994 Connecticut gubernatorial election as an independent and lost.[13][14] In January 1995, Scott returned to radio, hosting a show on WTIC;[15] he subsequently moved to WELI.[16] He hosted the radio show Off Center with Roger Vann, until Vann left the station in 1999.[17][18]

In July 2008, Scott rejoined WELI. That October, he interviewed United States Senator Chris Dodd. WELI chose not to air the interview due to disagreements between co-host and producer Ryan Gorman and Scott, which led to Scott leaving the station.[19] WERC in Birmingham, Alabama, another Clear Channel Communications affiliate station, later posted the interview to its website.[20]

In 2011, Scott aided the successful state Senate campaign of Len Suzio.[21] He joined Linda McMahon's second U.S. Senate campaign in February 2012.[22]

As of 2024, Scott is a realtor in Milford, Connecticut.[23]

References

  1. ^ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Tom Scott".
  2. ^ a b "Tom Scott". Hartford Courant. October 3, 1994. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d Pazniokas, Mark (September 22, 1991). "Riding A Taxpayer Rebellion". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  4. ^ Madden, Richard L. (April 1, 1984). "Connecticut Senate pass tax bill and O'Neil signs it". New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  5. ^ Keating, Christopher (November 20, 2014). "Capitol Caldron: Hot Summer of '91 Gave Birth to Income Tax". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  6. ^ Johnson, Kirk (October 6, 1991). "Lawmakers Tell 40,000 at Rally Connecticut Income Tax Will Die". New York Times. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  7. ^ Greenberg, Brigitte (September 8, 1994). "Tom Scott jumps into governor's race". The Hour. Associated Press. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  8. ^ Ravo, Nick (November 7, 1990). "The 1990 Elections: Connecticut – Congressional Contests; Franks Wins House Seat, Spoiling Moffett's Comeback Effort". New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  9. ^ Pazniokas, Mark (July 1, 1992). "Scott Announces Run for Congressional Seat". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  10. ^ Davis, Richard; Owen, Diana Marie (1998). New Media and American Politics. Oxford University Press. p. 249. ISBN 9780195120608.
  11. ^ Hays, Constance L. (November 4, 1992). "The 1992 election: Connecticut–U. S. House races; Incumbents Stave Off Rivals Amid Economic Concerns". New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  12. ^ Lender, Jon (April 22, 1993). "Leading Income Tax Foe May Get Radio Talk Show". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  13. ^ "The 1994 campaign: Races in Connecticut for Governor, Other Statewide Offices and Congress". New York Times. November 6, 1994.
  14. ^ Rabinovitz, Jonathan (September 14, 1994). "The 1994 Campaign: Connecticut; Senate Leader Loses Governor Race to Comptroller in an Upset". New York Times.
  15. ^ Keveney, Bill (January 20, 1995). "Tom Scott Returns to the Airwaves". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  16. ^ Lender, Jon (February 8, 1996). "What Happened to Eliminating the Income Tax?". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  17. ^ Tuhus, Melinda (July 13, 1997). "Civil Rights, Elective Office, or What?". New York Times. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  18. ^ Weiss, Tara (June 4, 1999). "Talk Show Host Rejects 75% Pay Cut". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  19. ^ Bass, Paul (November 11, 2008). "Dodd interview censored". New Haven Independent. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  20. ^ Bass, Paul (November 13, 2008). "Clear Channel Runs Dodd Interview—In Alabama". New Haven Independent. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  21. ^ Pazniokas, Mark (February 28, 2011). "Tom Scott, a 90s tax protester, notches a win in Meriden". Connecticut Mirror. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  22. ^ Dixon, Ken (October 6, 2012). "McMahon, Murphy's inner circles a sharp contrast". Connecticut Post. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  23. ^ "About Thomas Scott". realtor.com. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
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