Today’s Power Lunch

In between bites of a ranchero chicken burrito, Tom Reynolds made his pitch to the leader of New Haven’s delegate-rich Democratic Party to back his bid in the suddenly red-hot race for state comptroller.

In a sign of the changing nature of Connecticut politics, Monday’s lunchtime pitch didn’t take place in a smoky backroom. It took place at the front window table of the Whole Enchilada restaurant on Whitney Avenue.

Reynolds (at left in above photo) asked New Haven Democratic Town Chairwoman Susie Voigt (at right) to meet him as he headed north from a stop in Milford.

Reynolds is one of, at last count, four (five?) Democratic candidates for state comptroller racing around the state to line up support in advance of this weekend’s state party convention. The mad dash began last week after the current state comptroller, Nancy Wyman, announced she’s leaving the job she’s held for 16 years in order to run for lieutenant governor.

Reynolds, a state representative from Ledyard, was the first to bust out of the box to try to replace her. He had already been campaigning for the job in 2009, then suspended his campaign this past January when he thought Wyman would run again for comptroller, the state’s highest financial-management job.

New Haven has the largest bloc of delegates at the party convention, 81. They’re up for grabs in the comptroller’s race.

Here’s what a comptroller does, according to the office’s website: work ​“to provide accounting and financial services, to administer employee benefits, to develop accounting policy and exercise accounting oversight, and to prepare financial reports for state, federal and municipal governments and the public.”

In his discussion with Voigt Monday, Reynolds spoke of his 22-page plan to ​“continue” turning the comptroller’s job into an activist source of ​“budget, tax, and government reform.”

“The comptroller shouldn’t be a bureaucrat,” Reynolds said. Under Wyman, he said, the state has ​“turned [the position] into a policy leader.”

“We have?” Voigt asked, working on a cup of gazpacho and a bottle of diet Snapple.

Compared to the office’s historic function, Reynolds replied.

Reynolds, who owns a small business consulting to not-for-profits, noted that Connecticut has the nation’s highest per capita state government debt, as well as the largest unfunded pension liability. He said he’d push legislation every year to contribute more state money toward long-term obligations. ​“Underfunding debt doesn’t save you money,” he said.

He’d also press for performance-based budgeting, he said.

Click here to read more about his plan, which is entitled, ​“Crisis — A Terrible Thing to Waste: Connecticut’s Budget Dilemma and the Opportunity for Reforms.”

Connecticut faces $3.3 billion and $3.7 billion deficits in fiscal years 2012 and 2013. Reynolds argued that the state can’t get a handle on these deficits without real long-term planning.

Reynolds’ opponents for the Democratic nomination include Kevin Lembo (who last week switched from running for lieutenant governor), Waterbury Mayor Michael Jarjura, and, as of Monday morning, Fairfield First Selectman Ken Flatto. Lt. Gov. Kevin Sullivan is said to be considering a run. Until Sunday night, New Haven was thought to possibly have a candidate of its own to add to the field, Hill Alderman Jorge Perez, but he decided not to run.

“We’re not committing in New Haven” yet to any candidate in the comptroller’s race, Voigt told Reynolds at Monday’s lunch, as he showed her a photo of his two children. ​“We’re listening.”