Slade Mead
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Slade Mead is a former
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
State Senator and is Republican turned
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...
.


Family life

Mead was born on September 6, 1961, in
Torrington, Connecticut Torrington is the most populated municipality and largest city in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, and the Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut, Northwest Hills Planning Region. It is also the core city of Greater Torringto ...
. Both of his parents were teachers, and later on his two siblings would become teachers as well. He graduated from
Taft School The Taft School is a private coeducational school located in Watertown, Connecticut, United States. It enrolls approximately 600 students in grades 9–12. Overview History The school was founded in 1890 as Mr. Taft's School (renamed t ...
, studied at
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, where he was a member of
Wolf's Head Society Wolf's Head Society is a senior secret society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The society is one of the "Big Three" societies at Yale, along with Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key. Active undergraduate membership is elected annual ...
and, for a year in between his undergraduate and law school education, taught high school as well. Is currently the college counselor at Trinity Pawling School in Pawling, New York and teaches there as well. In 1996, he and his wife, Alison, moved to Arizona with their two children, Lindsay and Sierra, from
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. His eldest daughter, Lindsay, is a special needs child with a rare form of
epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...
, a severe seizure disorder. It is his daughter that eventually drove Slade into the political arena.


Early political career

As a result of his daughter's disorder, Slade became involved in her school, which then evolved into a seat on his local site council and finally a seat on the Kyrene School Board. While on the Kyrene School Board, Mead became "frustrated and dismayed" by the state's funding of their public schools. He then became frustrated with his State Senator, Lori Daniels, who seemed "indifferent to the situation". He decided to run against her.


State Senate career

Mead managed to defeat Daniels in the Republican
primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...
, and took her senate seat for District 20. He was Vice-Chairman of the Education Committee, and sat on the Appropriations and Government Committees as well. In 2003, A fight ensued over the GOP's proposed budget. Mead eventually sided with the Democrats, citing a lack of funding for public education. This event resulted in Mead's exile from the party, and in 2004 State Representative John Huppenthal challenged him in the primary.Huppenthal, Mead personify rift in Ariz. GOP
/ref>


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mead, Slade 1961 births Living people Yale Law School alumni Arizona state senators 21st-century members of the Arizona State Legislature