GOP Comptroller candidate Mary Fay at WNHH FM.
Mary Fay wants voters to make her Connecticut CFO, so she can keep an eye on how tax dollars get spent.
Fay, a Republican, is the first declared candidate for the position of state comptroller.
She likens the job to state government’s chief financial officer: overseeing payroll and benefits for 65,000 employees; negotiating their health plans, serving as the top fiscal watchdog, issuing monthly budget reports.
Fay, who is 60, said her background makes her qualified for that post: Her career as a senior finance executive at companies like GE, Sun Life, and AIG; and her three terms on West Hartfod’s Town Council, where she serves as minority leader and focuses on fiscal issues.
“This is a competency job. It’s not a popularity job,” Fay said during an appearance on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program.
“I’m not afraid to speak truth to power.”
She said she’d tackle the state’s unfunded pension liabilities, which rank as highest per capita in the nation. She acknowledged that Gov. Ned Lamont has made some progress on that front, but said much work remains on tackling a problem created by his predecessors. She would start by calling for tapping of the state’s surplus, a move Lamont has resisted. She vowed as well to ensure that the state makes more realistic assumptions about expected annual returns on its pension investments.
She also argued that the comptroller should “be at the table” in contract negotiations with government unions. And she promised to keep a close eye on the granting of government contracts, especially no-bid contracts; the comptroller signs off on contracts.
On the Democratic side, State Rep. Sean Scanlon has formed an “exploratory” committee to weigh a run for the comptroller’s position. His campaign announced Wednesday that it raised $40,000 inn the first week.
Two years ago Fay mounted a challenge as a Republican to incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. John Larson — who back in the ’70s taught her AP History and coached her high school basketball team in East Hartford. (Fay played center.)
Click on the play arrow to watch the full interview with comptroller candidate Mary Fay on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven.”