Frey served as a member of the Ridgefield Republican Town Committee from 1981 to 1998 and the Republican State Central Committee from 1989 to 2000.
Before winning election to the state House of Representatives, Frey was appointed chairman of the Connecticut Real Estate Commission in 1995 by former Governor John G. Rowland. Frey held the distinct honor as the commission's youngest chairman in state history. Frey was also appointed 'government representative' for the University of Connecticut Business School Center for Real Estate and Economic Studies, a position he still holds.
Republican politics
In February 2007, Frey was elected as the Connecticut National Committeeman to the Republican National Committee. He was re-elected to a four-year term in June 2008, a second full term in May 2012, third term in 2016 and a fourth term in June, 2020. Mr. Frey was appointed by RNC Chairman Michael Steele to the RNC Redistricting Committee, which is charged with planning for federal redistricting that begins after 2010. In July 2009, he was elected to the RNC Site Selection Committee. The eight member committee was charged with determining the site of the 2012 Republican National Convention (their recommendation of Tampa, Florida, was ratified by the Republican National Committee). Mr. Frey was appointed to the Committee on Arrangements, charged with the planning and oversight of the 2012 Republican National Convention. He has served on the RNC Rules Committee since 2007. He served as Sergeant-at-Arms of the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Frey was the 5th District coordinator for the Bob Dole 1996 presidential campaign and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in San Diego, California, where he represented the state as a member of the Platform Committee. In 2004, for the third time he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention and again represented Connecticut on the Platform Committee, where he gained approval for language calling for a more transparent Indian tribe recognition process. He was a delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention and served on the Rules Committee.
Connecticut House of Representatives
Serving in his eleventh term as Ridgefield's chief advocate in
Republican Whip
. He served on the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee; the Bank Committee and Legislative Management Committee. He also served on the state Aging Commission.
Frey has supported measures to improve education for students at all grade levels, to protect benefits of seniors and Veterans residing in Connecticut, to preserve consumers' rights, to reform state government, and to secure pristine areas of open space.
Frey has also been instrumental in securing state aid for local projects in Ridgefield, including the Ridgefield Playhouse, school construction and improvements, the Ridgefield Veterans Community Center, the Aldrich Museum, Tiger Hollow and the Ridgefield Boys & Girls Club. He is largely credited for gaining funding for the 400-acre (1.6 km2) Bennetts Pond State Park.
In February 2008, the State Bond Commission approved $3.25 million to fund 12 unit expansion of Ballard Green senior housing and rehabilitation of 120 units of affordable and senior housing in Ridgefield. Connecticut Governor
M. Jodi Rell
thanks Rep. John Frey for his perseverance in advocating for funding for the project. In October 2008, he secured an additional $640,000 to cover unanticipated funding shortfalls.
