Jonathan Kantrowitz

CTBob and I met with Gerry Garcia yesterday. He’s running for Secretary of the State (SOTS). He is deeply committed to improving voter turn-out, especially in the inner cities, and sees that as his principal mission as a candidate and as SOTS. He previously served on the New Haven City Council , where his proposed “Promise to New Haven” legislation tied the mayor’s salary to increased voter turnout.

CTBob’s write-up is here:

I found Gerry to be very engaging and earnest about the office, and optimistic about his chances. With at least a three-way race for the Democratic nomination looming (against House Majority Leader Denise Merrill, and State Senator and former West Hartford mayor Jonathan Harris) Garcia feels he’ll have the widest appeal throughout the state.

Garcia spoke about the issues facing our state and ways to increase voter participation, especially after a disappointingly low turnout during the 2009 elections. “We need to get more people voting,” Garcia said. “I’m in favor of early voting similar to the system in use in California.” California allows registered voters to opt to vote by mail rather than by going to the polls to vote.

He also suggested same day voter registration to encourage increased voter participation. Other states have successfully implemented the same-day scheme to good effect….

The New Haven Independent has a good write up and video of New Haven Mayor John DeStefano giving his endorsement to Garcia and pledging to deliver most, if not all of New Haven’s 81 votes at the State Democratic Convention in May.

Gerry with his wife and father

The Yale Daily News describes his background better than I can (“94 SOM ’01″ means he graduated from Yale in 1994 and from Yale’s School of Management in 2001):

Former Ward 9 Alderman Gerald “Gerry” Garcia ’94 SOM ’01 announced last week his plans to run for state secretary of the state in the 2010 election. If elected, Garcia intends to boost voter turnout by pushing to make Connecticut an early voting state; make the secretary of the state’s work more transparent; and make it easier for small businesses to open in Connecticut, according to his campaign Web site. In an early voting state, citizens can mail in a paper ballot several weeks before Election Day.

“Not enough people have been stepping up,” Ward 15 Alderman Joseph Rodriguez said. “But Gerry’s a local kid, and it’s time we had that sort of representation at the state level…”

After representing Ward 9 between 1996 and 2001 and receiving his business degree from the School of Management, Garcia worked at the now-bankrupt New York investment bank Lehman Brothers. Since returning to New Haven in 2006 from New York City, Garcia has worked as a small-business financial adviser, according to his campaign Web site.

Garcia, 38, was born in California. Shortly after his birth, his Jewish mother and Puerto Rican father moved the family to New Haven, where Garcia attended the city’s public schools. As a Yale undergraduate, Garcia was president of Despierta Boricua, a service and social organization for Puerto Ricans at Yale, and the Yale chapter of the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi.

Rodriguez said that in several past meetings with Garcia he encouraged the former alderman to run for secretary of the state. Rodriguez also said he plans to lobby on Garcia’s behalf when Garcia seeks the endorsement of the state’s Hispanic Democratic Caucus — which consists of Hispanic lawmakers in Connecticut.

“Gerry is sending a great message to our younger Latinos: when it comes to making a difference, there’s no barrier you can’t cross,” Rodriguez said.

Ward 6 Alderwoman Dolores Colón, also of Hispanic descent, said she believes Garcia would inspire the state’s Hispanic youth if elected.

“If he’s elected, and he keeps a clean record, he could be a great role model,” Colón said. “I wish him the best of luck…”

One initiative Garcia undertook while he was Ward 9 alderman was the failed “Promise to New Haven…”

Garcia also worked… to introduce the state’s first living-wage legislation, which became law in April 1997. The legislation aimed to reduce homelessness by pegging the minimum wage to the cost of local housing.