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Garcia Looks Homeward To Reach $$ Goal
by Allan Appel | Jul 7, 2010 3:00 pm
(10) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author
Posted to: Fair Haven, Campaign 2010
New Haven’s Gerry Garcia’s has little more than a week to go to raise enough money to get public financing for his underdog quest for secretary of the state. The city’s Democratic faithful turned out to hoist gazpacho and pledge to help him over the finish line.
Democratic Town Committee Chairwoman Susie Voigt (pictured) was one of 30 party movers and shakers who gathered Tuesday night at Jenelle’s riparian eatery down by the Quinnipiac in Fair Haven to cheer on the candidacy of an Elm City native son, and to try raise the balance of the $75,000 required in donations ranging from $5 to $100.
Garcia needs to hit that goal by July 16 to qualify for $350,000 in matching money from Connecticut’s Citizen Election Program. His opponent in a Democratic Aug. 10 primary, party-endorsed Denise Merrill, announced last week that she has already raised the needed dough. Garcia said last week that he is “over halfway there.” He needs to get all the way there to have enough cash to mount a competitive race.
Campaign Manager (and State Rep.) Jason Bartlett estimated that Tuesday night’s event brought in about $10,000.
“We’re closing in,” Garcia (pictured) said Tuesday night. He declined to be more specific.
Among the many Board of Ed supporters at the event were Fair Haven Middle School Principal Kim Johnsky, Chief of Staff Leida Pacini, and Superintendent Reggie Mayo. Mayo (at left in above photo) said he would urge people to write checks for Gerry and encouraged him to keep fighting.
Other politicos in the room included Mayor John DeStefano, State Rep. Juan Candelaria, Waterbury Mayor and comptroller candidate Michael Jarjura, and former Board of Alderman President Tomas Reyes (left in photo, with Bartlett center). (Bartlett emphasized that Garcia has also had an event with Jarjura’s Democratic primary opponent, Kevin Lembo.)
“He picked the secretary of state position for its importance to the low income [not only Latino] community that doesn’t vote in the numbers it should,” Reyes said of Garcia. “He is obsessed on making that office address that issue.”
Others attending included Housing Authority of New Haven Executive Director Karen DuBois-Walton, Spanish American Merchant Association Chair Frank Alvarado, and Democratic Town Committee Vice-Chair Norma Rodriguez-Reyes. Rodriguez-Reyes (left in photo, with Garcia supporter Catalina Rayas) showed off a new bilingual campaign postcard for the Garcia campaign with the tag line “Make history together.”
“I feel great. I’m the only candidate who’s injecting passion [into the race],” Garcia said. “I’m not a career politician. I’m running to reinvent the Secretary of State.”
Garcia has said that his campaign has been driving the issue of early and same-day voting and bringing those approaches along with more up to date technology to bear on increasing voter turnout.
But the first step is those small donations before the end of next week. Fair Haven Alderwoman Migdalia Castro urged attendees to locate five or ten friends who have not yet filled out the form and made their contribution to the Garcia candidacy.
Post a Comment
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Comments
posted by: cba on July 7, 2010 2:44pm
John DeStefano should assign his favorite money man ,Peter ” The Auditor’s Target ” Criscuolo, to assist this candidate and his financial problems would be become a thing of the past
posted by: Rock on July 7, 2010 6:06pm
Garcia will be elected and will re-energize the SOS. He has great political and real world experience to bring to the table, whereas Merrell is a deadbeat politician whose main claim is that she has kept a seat warm and is next in line for the office. A vote for Gerry is a vote for fresh and better ideas for CT! He will succeed!
posted by: abg on July 8, 2010 11:22am
Gerry is not the “mayor’s man.” Pretty much every politico and political faction in New Haven is supporting Gerry, whether they are aligned with City Hall or not… because he’s an excellent candidate who would bring a lot of energy and talent to Hartford (and he would be the first statewide officeholder from New Haven in decades). Did the campaign really raise $10,000 at this event? That would be 100 maximum contributions from people who aren’t lobbyists/state contractors and who haven’t donated at all before. Sounds a little exaggerated. Let’s hope it’s true.
posted by: Threefifths on July 8, 2010 1:06pm
posted by: abg on July 8, 2010 12:22pm
Gerry is not the “mayor’s man.”
But he is taking the king Meat.Pictures don’t lie.
posted by: Observer on July 8, 2010 4:59pm
looks like the same old politicos—where are the new faces (only saw 1). Looks like Reggie turned out the teachers to give and he’ll “encourage” those that didn’t attend to contribute. i think the bottom line here will be way too little, way too late!
posted by: Genius on July 8, 2010 5:23pm
John is no fool he’s supporting and using Garcia to break Prezes’ will and hijack the Latino voting block in New Haven, another ID Card Scam plot, anything to buy Fairhaven voters. Who cares you’ve purchased the vote and sold the neighborhood.
posted by: DemocratWatch on July 9, 2010 3:33pm
I do like Gerry Garcia, as he is fresh and I agree, brings enthusiasm to his candidacy. But I have to chuckle as I read and see the whose who of New Haven politicians gathering around. It is a necessary evil that one must make nice with some of the “power brokers” in order to run for office.
One could not help but notice Norma Rodriguez-Reyes in the pictures. I don’t know I would consider her a power broker, but as a partisan politico publisher of a Spanish language statewide weekly newspaper, La Voz, she gets the attention of the Democrats. But her party loyalty is a question for me.
According to the Federal Election Commission website, Norma Rodriguez-Reyes donated $1800 to the National Republican Congressional Committee between 2004-2006. Check out the website, it is very interesting: http://www.fec.gov/
How could the vice chair of the Democrat Town Committee of New Haven, Norma Rodriguez-Reyes, support candidates for the Republican Congressional Committee?
Politics makes interesting bedfellows, no?
Good luck Gerry, just be careful you don’t loose yourself in crazy world of politics.
posted by: Threefifths on July 9, 2010 4:45pm
It is a necessary evil that one must make nice with some of the “power brokers” in order to run for office.
How could the vice chair of the Democrat Town Committee of New Haven, Norma Rodriguez-Reyes, support candidates for the Republican Congressional Committee?
Politics makes interesting bedfellows, no?
The question should be How could she support both parties,The bed is the same.The Republican party is the box spring,The Democratic party is the Mattress. Loyalty should be to the people not the party.
