Election 2014 General Candidates

Secretary of State

We've all heard about the U.S. Secretary of State, an appointed position currently held by John Kerry, previously held by Hillary Clinton.

In Connecticut, the Secretary of State oversees elections, business filings, notaries, and other duties related to public records and documents. It's sort of the paperwork department for the State of Connecticut.

This year's candidates are:



Denise W. Merrill, Democrat, former State Representative for the 54th District, Secretary of State since 2010.

Peter Lumaj, Republican, Albanian immigrant, attorney.

S. Michael DeRosa, Green Party, radio show producer.


Treasurer

The Office of the State Treasurer handles the state's money. This includes cash management, debt management, pension funds management, workers' compensation funds, and unclaimed assets.

The candidates are:

Denise L. Nappier, Democrat, formerly Hartford City Treasurer, State Treasurer since 1998.

Timothy M. Herbst, Republican, First Selectman (i.e., Mayor) for the Town of Trumbull.


Comptroller

The Office of the State Comptroller oversees many financial matters for the State, including the payroll and benefits for state employees, and the state budget.

The candidates are:

Kevin Lembo, Democrat, formerly the State Healthcare Advocate, Comptroller since 2010.

Sharon J. McLaughlin, Republican, formerly employed as Logistics Coordinator for Siemens IT Solutions and Services, currently volunteer Treasurer of the Ellington Congregational Church.

Rolf W. Maurer, Green Party, thinks he is running for both Treasurer and Comptroller (says he is a candidate for Treasurer/Comptroller on his Facebook page). Please don't vote for this man. He doesn't know what office he's running for.


Attorney General

The Office of the Attorney General oversees cases involving the State of Connecticut, acts as Counsel to the State Senate and House of Representatives, and represents the State of Connecticut at civil trials. The Office is staffed by attorneys who are hired, not elected. It's sort of like a law firm whose only client is the State of Connecticut.

George Jepson, Democrat, attorney, former State Representative for the 148th District, former State Senator for the 27th District, State Attorney General since 2011.

Kie Westby, Republican, attorney.

Stephen E. Fournier, Green Party, former attorney, writer.


Judge of Probate

The Probate Court is run by a judge, and oversees matters like the estates of the deceased and custody of children. Waterbury's probate judge has been Thomas P. Brunnock since 2003. He is the only candidate on the ballot this year.


Registrar of Voters

Each of the three parties has a candidate this year. Patricia Mulhall is the Democrat candidate; Timothy DeCarlo is the Republican; and Michael Telesca is the Independent. If Mulhall and DeCarlo are the top two vote getters, then they will remain as our only two Registrars of Voters. If Telesca comes in first or second place, then all three become Registrars.

Basically, in order for the Independent Party to be deemed worthy of a Registrar of Voters, their candidate needs to do better in the election than at least one of the two major parties.