Michael A McLachlan

State Senator Michael McLachlan (R-24) is serving his fifth term in the Connecticut State Senate. He represents the 24th District communities of Danbury, Bethel, New Fairfield and Sherman. A Deputy Senate Republican Majority Leader, Senator McLachlan is Co-Chairman on the General Assembly’s Government Administration & Elections Committee. He also serves as Vice-Chairman on the Judiciary and the Labor & Public Relations committees and is a member of the Finance, Revenue & Bonding and the Executive & Legislative Nominations committees. He serves as Co-Chairman of the Finance Committee’s General Bonding Subcommittee. Senator McLachlan has spent years working closely with the Catholic Church in Connecticut. In 2016, he was named a member of the Elected Official Advisory Committee of the Saint Pio Foundation. In a 2010 ceremony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, Archbishop Timothy Dolan made Senator McLachlan a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. In 2009, Senator McLachlan led the opposition to proposed legislation that threatened religious freedoms. The proposal would have reorganized the Catholic Church in Connecticut by removing bishops and pastors from management decisions. Prior to serving in the Senate, Senator McLachlan served as Chief of Staff for Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton. Senator McLachlan began working for Mayor Boughton following the mayor’s election in 2001. Senator McLachlan still serves on the Danbury Housing Partnership and chaired the Veteran’s Housing Committee that launched the Housing for Heroes program in 2008. The program provides shelter, transitional housing and a path to a permanent home. Before transitioning to city government, Senator McLachlan had a successful career in financial services, including automotive fleet, mortgage banking, and small business lending. He was named Vice President at First Union National Bank where he was responsible for equipment leasing in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. Senator McLachlan also has a lengthy record of work for the Republican Party, working in local politics since the age of ten. He served as a volunteer on many campaigns including those of Congressman Ron Sarasin, Jack Thompson, Marty Rader, Governor Thomas Meskill, President Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole, and Governor Jodi Rell. A former chairman of the Danbury Republican Town Committee, campaign manager, and advisor to many Republican officials, Senator McLachlan has cultivated a reputation as a devoted public servant. The Danbury Republican Town Committee awarded Senator McLachlan the J. Thayer Bowman Service Award in 2000. Senator McLachlan is a commercial Realtor with his own company – Hat City Real Estate, LLC. He and his wife Alesia live in Danbury.