Gerry Garcia: Secretary of the State candidate

Gerry Garcia is a candidate in the Aug. 10 Democratic Primary. He garnered 15% of the vote at the party convention in May, making him eligible to have his name on the primary ballot. His challenger is party-endorsed Diane Merrill.

Mr. Garcia is a financial adviser and strategy consultant to a number of small companies. He ran diversity education programs with the Anti-Defamation League and then worked in private sector banking. He was on New Haven’s Board of Aldermen for five years. He earned his bachelor’s and MBA from Yale University.

Gerry Garcia's statement:

Gerry Garcia is an American success story. While to some his name connotes the Grateful Dead, tie-dyes and Cherry Garcia ice cream, it reflects the dual heritage that fuels his passion to be secretary of the state. Gerry is grateful to the many who have come before him who have opened the doors that allow this New Havener to run for a constitutional office.

The secretary of the state is responsible for our voting system and for registering Connecticut’s businesses. Essentially, it is responsible for two forms of identity: First, for our personal identity expressed politically, in basic form, we call voting; and second, for registering which businesses and organizations are identified to conduct business within Connecticut.

Gerry’s father Felix hails from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. He moved to New Haven in the 1950s, where he met Gerry’s mom Diana, who was an Austrian-Romanian Jew. Caring for his terminally ill mother shaped Gerry’s understanding of how our seniors, sick, single moms, commuters, business owners, veterans and others share common barriers to voting on Election Day.

Gerry will make voting easier for everyone by bringing Early Voting to Connecticut so we catch up to more than 30 other states that embrace making all their voters’ voices heard.

Gerry holds undergraduate and MBA degrees from Yale, and envisions transforming the secretary of the state into an advocate and one-stop-shop for business solutions. In addition to registry responsibilities, the 21st Century secretary of the state should help entrepreneurs solve problems, get help and information, spur investment and create jobs, since it is the only office in all of our state that knows the names and natures of all of our businesses.

Gerry is a proud product of New Haven public schools. A scholar-athlete, Gerry was accepted to Yale, where he was a leader in the Latino and Jewish student communities. After college, he ran diversity education programs for the Anti-Defamation League. He left ADL to work for People’s Bank, and later ran for New Haven’s Board of Aldermen. As alderman, Gerry passed Connecticut’s first Living Wage Legislation and introduced clean government initiatives. Gerry returned to Yale and earned his MBA. Today, Gerry is a small business owner and financial strategy consultant. He lives in New Haven with his wife Magda, who is originally from Krakow, Poland, and who someday will be Connecticut’s newest voter.

Please visit www.garciaforct.com and view Gerry’s new video, “Make Your Voice Heard.” You may also find information on Gerry’s Facebook Fan Page and may follow him on Twitter.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites