Wayne Baker

Wayne A. Baker
Former State Senator Wayne A. Baker passed away on Monday, June 15, 2020 surrounded by his family. Wayne died of natural causes. He was 83.
Wayne was born in New Orleans and grew up in the Southern part of the US, Columbia and Venezuela as an "oil brat" where his father was a geophysicist with Standard Oil. After graduating from Colgate University in 1958 and Cornell Law School in 1963, Wayne maintained a general law practice in Danbury. He was a Public Defender from 1969-1972 and Chairman of the Charter Revision Commission for the consolidation of the City and Town of Danbury from 1973-1974. Wayne was elected to the State Senate in Hartford, representing the 24th Senatorial district for ten years from 1974-1984. Wayne served as Town Committee Chairman for a number of years beginning in 2000. Up until 2013, he was a Hearing Officer for the Danbury Housing Authority as well as the Norwalk Housing Authority.
Wayne has been a longtime Colgate University fan but was partial to football, which he played while attending Colgate. It became a family tradition for three generations of Bakers to go up to Colgate and tailgate at one football game each year. His father Malcolm '28, his daughter Kirsten '85 and his grandson, Spencer '17 all graduated from Colgate.
Wayne was an avid runner and could often be seen running along the roads of Danbury most often on Backus Avenue and Miry Brook Road. He participated in many marathons with his fastest time clocking in at 2:46. While in the Connecticut State Senate, he ran the Boston Marathon a few times with many of his colleagues cheering him on. He enjoyed his years in the State Senate where in his first term he obtained the funding for the Superior Court Building on White Street and the "Super 7" highway extension from Danbury to Brookfield. He was instrumental in clarifying and broadening the state's Freedom of Information laws. As Senate Chairman of the Government and Administration Committee, he introduced and pursued the successful passage of the Reorganization Act of 1977, which streamlined state government by reducing 256 State Agencies, Boards and Commissions into 23 and provided a "Sunset Provision", which mandates review of state agencies to determine their continued effectiveness. Wayne held regular constituent meetings and was one of the first legislators to send out constituent surveys (at his own cost) to get their feedback. Besides efficient government, voters in the 24th Senatorial district, wanted better roads and Wayne fought for 3 terms before the legislature finally passed a dedicated highway fund, mandating part of the Connecticut gas tax be set aside to maintain our roads and bridges. Wayne was instrumental in bringing the Western Connecticut State College into the State University system as "Western Connecticut State University" and obtained the funding for its West Side Campus. The Danbury Fair Mall was built in Danbury because Wayne was responsible for getting the largest bond package passed since the bond for Bradley Airport, to provide for a third lane on Rt 84 and redesign of the interchange at Rt 7. This assured the mall was located in Danbury and not in Brewster, thus securing sales tax revenue for the State of Connecticut.
Wayne was a longtime resident of Danbury. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Paula Mirabile, and four children, Kirsten, Kenneth, Serena and Elizabeth along with seven grandchildren and his first wife, Ingrid Bloom. A private memorial service will be held in the future.