The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Gray edges Linares for treasurer; Miller wins nod for comptroller
MASHANTUCKET — Thaddeus Gray narrowly edged out state Sen. Art Linares for the GOP nomination for treasurer Saturday in the closest race at Foxwoods yet.
Gray never trailed, but he briefly lost his lead when the vote at the Republican state convention was tied at one point before delegates were allowed to switch votes. Eleven delegates from Fairfield swapped their votes from Linares to Gray to give him a wider lead and effectively end the race. Gray ended with 48.45 percent to Linares’ 47.24 percent — that’s a difference of 14 votes.
“I think this morning is the proof that we are a great party, we are a fair party,” Gray said during his acceptance speech. “We had an honest and fair discussion about who should be the state treasurer. I told my story. Senator Linares told his story, and the delegates made the decision. I really appreciate that we kept this fair and honest and avoided the personal issues.”
Gray, a Republican from Salisbury, retired from his executive role at a New York investment firm to run for treasurer. He has nearly 35 years of experience in investment business.
“Thad Gray understands markets, investments and accountability because he’s done that for more than 30 years,” Torrington Mayor Elinor Carbone said during her nominating speech. “Thad Gray will bring that leadership to the treasurer’s office, and he will hire the right people to do what is most beneficial for Connecticut.”
Linares, a three-term state senator from Westbrook, is co-chairman of the legislature’s higher education committees. He was first elected to the state Senate in 2012, winning a seat that had been held by a Democrat for two decades.
But he is perhaps best known for his nuptials. His marriage to state Rep. Caroline Simmons, a Stamford Democrat, made headlines, along with their pregnancy announcement this week as the General Assembly wrapped up. Linares opted to seek statewide office for multiple reason, not least among them that he would be able to live with his wife, who represents a different town.
State Treasurer Denise Nappier announced in January she would not seek reelection this year after 20 years in office. In 2014, Republican Tim Herbst, the first selectman of Trumbull, nearly beat Nappier in what was the closest statewide race that year.
Comptroller
Seymour First Selectman Kurt Miller took the GOP nomination for state comptroller, beating out Litchfield businessman Mark Greenberg.
“I ask today that as we come together as a party and that we work as a team to make our goals happen,” Miller said in accepting the nomination. “There’s a lot of great candidates that we have today at our disposal to bring together to bring Connecticut back. So I am going to ask that we work hard today to get that great team together to make Connecticut the great state that it once was.”
Miller defeated Greenberg with 71 percent of the vote. Greenberg earned 22 percent, enough to go to a primary in August.
“Kurt has the experience of reforming government and he has done just that in Seymour ... but he’s done it in a fiscally responsible way,” House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, of Derby, said during her nominating speech. “Kurt is a numbers guy. That is his background, and that’s what we need for our next comptroller.”
Miller, who is serving his fourth term as first selectman of Seymour, was first elected in 2011 and has run unopposed in two of his last three elections. In the fall, he will likely face Democratic incumbent Kevin Lembo, who is seeking re-election as comptroller.
Greenberg has run unsuccessfully three times for the 5th Congressional District seat. His name was briefly floated again this year as a potential candidate for the open seat after U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty announced she would not seek re-election, but Greenberg opted to stay in the state comptroller race where he said he felt he would have the best opportunity to help the state.