Holly Cheeseman was elected to serve the 37th district in November 2016. She currently serves as Ranking Member of the Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee, and is a member of the legislature’s committees on Commerce and Energy and Technology.
A New London, CT native, Rep. Cheeseman has been a resident of East Lyme for 25 years. She currently works as a consultant to the Niantic Children’s Museum, having served there as executive director for the past nine years.
Holly received a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA with a major in German and minors in Physics and History.
Holly enjoys spending time with her new husband Joe; her children and grandchildren, and her two Chesapeake Bay retrievers, Callie and Madducks.
From her earliest days in the district, Holly has been committed to serving the community in which she lives. From serving as President of Creative Playschool when her children were small to six terms on the Board of Trustees of the East Lyme Public Library and three terms on the Board of Selectmen, Holly’s dedication to her community is unquestioned. Her involvement in Salem is equally impressive, attending meetings of the Board of Selectmen, Salem Parent Teacher Organization, and the Salem Seniors Group. The Gardiner Lake Fire Department BBQ and the Congregational Church Applefest are a regular feature on her calendar. She has been a strong advocate for her constituents in Montville, most recently securing state funding for crucial upgrades to the animal shelter there.
2023 AARP “Taxpayer Champion”
2024 Early Childhood Alliance “Children’s Champion”
2024 Honored by Safe Futures for her advocacy on behalf of domestic violence victims
Holly has made fighting for mental health awareness and suicide prevention a cornerstone of her legislative efforts. Each day, tens of thousands of our fellow Connecticut residents face the challenge of living with mental illness. Across the United States, one in five adults experiences mental illness each year and one in six U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder. Tragically, untreated mental illness has terrible consequences, leading to substance abuse and addiction, harm to oneself and others, and that most tragic of outcomes, suicide. Indeed, suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-34. In Connecticut someone dies by suicide every twenty-two hours.
To address these life-destroying issues, Holly has worked extensively with the Brian Dagle Foundation, the CT Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and SERAC (Southeast Region Action Council). Legislatively, Holly has co-sponsored bills mandating mental health parity in health insurance coverage, establishing a youth suicide prevention pilot program, and requiring insurance coverage for medication assisted treatment of opioid addiction.
📣 I am truly honored to receive the endorsement of the NFIB Connecticut PAC. I am committed to championing the interests of small business owners See More
Stopped by to visit the Save Oswegatchie Hills Coalition, Friends of Friends of the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve and the Save the Sound. We must See More
Scott said it best! The East Lyme Giving Garden is one of my favorite local organizations. Access to fresh and nutritious produce is essential for See More
It was a fantastic day knocking doors with Shaun for State Senate. As an elected official, hearing from you is always my top priority. Beware… See More
This year, Connecticut will allow 14 days of early voting before November 5th’s General Election.
EARLY VOTING
OCTOBER 21 – 31
NOVEMBER 1 – 3
10 am – 6 pm
8 am – 8 pm on October 29 and 31