Melissa Bailey Photo
To make it to the state Capitol without special interest money, Gerry Garcia had to get to Christopher Martin’s early, to woo New Haveners with bottles of Heineken and slices of filet mignon on toast.
The event Wednesday night was one of many small fundraisers Garcia is hosting as he seeks the Democratic nomination for secretary of state.
Garcia (at right in photo), who lives in East Rock, is the only Democratic candidate for statewide office who has signed up to participate in the state’s clean elections program, according to the State Elections Enforcement Commission. (Others have announced their intent to participate.) The program offers public matching money to office-seekers willing to run “clean” — to limit the size and types of contributions they’ll accept.
To qualify for a public grant, Garcia has to raise $75,000 in small donations of between $5 and $100. His two main Democratic opponents said they are seeking to qualify, too.
That quest brought Garcia to Christopher Martin’s Restaurant & Pub on State Street Wednesday. The pub is a few blocks from his Bradley Street home, near the district he used to represent as Ward 9 alderman.
About 25 people, mostly political insiders, showed up to mingle on an elevated platform toward the back of the bar. They schmoozed over pesto tortellini, wild-caught shrimp cocktail, southern-fried chicken wings and bottles Heineken and Beck’s.
The event occurred on the same day that Mayor John DeStefano announced, in an interview with the Independent, that he’s endorsing Garcia’s campaign.
“Gerry would just be an incredibly dynamic” secretary of state who would boost voter participation, DeStefano said. He said he hopes all of New Haven’s 81 convention delegates rally behind the hometown candidate.
Around 7 p.m. at Christopher Martin’s, the hometown candidate gave a brief speech. He pledged to do something about Connecticut’s pathetic voter turnout. At the last election, only 36.4 percent of voters statewide cast ballots. New Haven showed a wimpier 17.6 percent turnout. If you take out East Rock’s Ward 9 and 10, the numbers look even worse, Garcia said.
“And Ward 8!” called out a voice near the beer bucket.
Garcia quickly accepted the suggestion. Then he gave his pitch.
“Your investment in me today is an investment in a healthy democracy,” Garcia said.
He vowed give voice to the voiceless by getting more people to the polls. He stressed his ability to reach out to Latino citizens. Garcia, a Puerto Rican Jew, is one of only two Latinos seeking statewide office this year.
He gave a closing pitch in Spanish.
One apparent non-Spanish speaker, recognizing the word cervecita, let out a “woo!”
Garcia then translated into English: “Thank you, have a beer,” and please leave a small donation.
Because Garcia is participating in the state clean election program, the cap on individual donations is $100.
Bar owner Chris Vigilante (at center in photo above), who hosted the event, said he was happy to cut a check to the hometown candidate.
“He’s a New Haven boy. I’d love to see him go to Hartford,” Vigilante said. He added that getting more Latinos to vote would “help the whole Democratic ticket, top down.”
Nearby, local developer Paul Denz said he would be donating to Garcia’s campaign, too.
Denz said the price — only $100 — wasn’t so bad compared to other campaigns. When Susan Bysiewicz was exploring a run for governor, her campaign asked him for a $375 check, Denz recalled. That’s because Bysiewicz hadn’t yet formed a candidate committee, so she could take up to $375 from individuals.
That was nothing compared to Mayor John DeStefano’s election, Denz added.
“DeStefano’s reelection cost me 1.8 million dollars!” Denz said. He was referring in jest to the lien the mayor is holding on Denz’s downtown property following a major fire.
Taking small donations is one part of the clean elections program. By participating in the program, Garcia also has to refuse money from lobbyists and state contractors.
“We’re determined to demonstrate that special interests” will not guide the campaign, the candidate said.
Garcia faces four Democratic opponents: House Majority Leader Denise Merrill of Mansfield, State Sen. Jonathan Harris of West Hartford, State Rep. James Spallone of Essex, and Norwalk Town Clerk Andy Garfunkel. None has officially joined the clean elections program, according to the state.
Republicans running for the office include: Richard Abbate, Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell and Bloomfield lawyer Corey Brinson. Only Farrell has joined the clean elections program.
Garcia’s main opponents, state legislators Merrill and Harris, both said they intend to seek public financing. Both said they are working right now to save the clean elections program from being overturned.
Harris said he will “without a doubt” seek public financing. He participated in the clean elections program when he ran for reelection in 2008. Harris currently has an exploratory committee, which allows him to take up to $375 from an individual, higher than the clean-elections limits. He said he is simultaneously working to qualify for the clean elections program. If he joins, his campaign would have to return any donation over $100. And some of the money spent by his exploratory committee may be deducted from his public grant.
Merrill is sticking to the limits of the clean elections program and intends to file an affidavit announcing her formal participation in the program, said campaign spokeswoman Patty McQueen. Unlike Harris, she has formed an candidate committee, instead of staying with the more flexible exploratory committee.
Democratic candidates’ immediate focus is garnering support from likely delegates to a May 24 Democratic State Convention. There the party will endorse candidates heading into a primary.
By joining the public financing program, candidates enter the convention with a handicap compared to those who aren’t seeking a public grant. Garcia can spend up to only $75,000 before the convention. That money has to be raised in individual donations of $100 or smaller. Meanwhile, candidates who aren’t part of the program don’t have a spending cap.
To qualify for a public grant, a candidate has to show broad support by raising $75,000 in small donations. According to the current rules, if the candidate’s campaign reaches that threshold, it get rewarded with a $375,000 public grant after the convention.
That’s why Garcia has been hosting many small fundraisers like the one Wednesday night.
Last week, he lured donors with salsa dancing at the Playwright bar. Next week, he’ll serve up Cherry Garcia ice cream at Bagelicious Bagels of Cheshire.
Meanwhile, he’s at work on another ground game: courting Democratic Town Committee members. Those small-scale political players are key because they will most likely become delegates at the state convention. Tuesday night, Garcia drove 84 miles to the town of Killingly to meet with a local DTC. Tonight, he’s headed to New Britain and Naugatuck.
His campaign trail inevitably circles back to New Haven. Next month, he’ll be back at a State Street bar, courting New Haven politicos at Diesel.
East Rock Alderman (and state representative candidate) Roland Lemar, one of eight official hosts of Wednesday’s event, called Garcia an “innovative thinker” who would find ways to make it easier to vote, and change Connecticut’s “antiquated voting laws that don’t benefit the average citizen.”
Developer Alex Marathas, another co-host, said he’s happy to help a fellow East Rocker boost voter turnout in New Haven.
“It’s disgusting that 11,000 people decide what happens in a city of 130,000,” he said. “If he can remove those roadblocks [to voting], then that’s a great thing.”
Paul Bass contributed reporting.