“As Oz traverse’s the state talking with Republican primary voters from Torrington to Trumbull and Wilton to Woodstock, the message is clear: people have had enough of negative campaign attack ads and political insiders speaking in platitudes,” said campaign manager Ashley Maagero.  “While our opponents feud away, Oz appeals directly to disenfranchised GOP voters by speaking specifically and candidly about the important issues facing our state, as well as spreading his positive message for a better Connecticut with dollars earned by the campaign.”

The ad begins airing tomorrow morning across the state through Election Day on Tuesday.

You can hear the radio ad, below:

R. Nelson “Oz” Griebel, the Simsbury businessman who says the private sector has been beaten down by the Legislature, is in the Southport Brewing Co. trying to win voters, or brewmasters, one at a time.

It’ll be a little while before he realizes manager and brewmaster Frank DelGreco is unaffiliated, ineligible to vote in the Aug. 10 Republican gubernatorial primary.

But to the 61-year-old Simsbury resident, a former baseball star at Dartmouth who pitched in the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system and went on to head BankBoston Connecticut, it’s a chance to gauge the local business climate at the popular restaurant and brewery.

The information gathered may help Griebel’s underdog run for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Yes, Griebel finds out, the recession has hit the SBC, which has five locations, including Stamford, Milford, Hamden and Branford.

In 2008, DelGreco brewed 80 batches of various beers in the copper kettles separated from the dining room by floor-to-ceiling windows. Last year, it fell to 60. This year, he said, he hopes to brew 70 batches. It helps that the SBC has a contract with the Bridgeport Bluefish baseball team, whose fans gulp down about 100 kegs a season.

“You’re doing what it takes to get people into the door,” Griebel says. “Anything to get people in the door.”

“It’s a recession-proof job,” DelGreco responds with a grin. “When times are good, people drink. When times are bad, people … drink.”

It’s another stop for Griebel on the campaign trail, wedged in between meeting members of the American Institute of Architects in the morning, a meeting with the Milford Chamber of Commerce and an afternoon editorial board session at an eastern Connecticut newspaper, the Norwich Bulletin, which will soon endorse his candidacy.

“What most people need is customers,” Griebel tells DelGreco sympathetically. “We need more people with more disposable income.”

And that’s the crux of Griebel’s campaign, which began last winter when he took a leave of absence as head of the MetroHartford Alliance, the regional chamber of commerce in north-central Connecticut, to pursue an outsider campaign for the GOP nomination.

Griebel says he knows what businesses need to help address the state’s nearly 9 percent unemployment rate: Government has to leave them alone and stop regulating and taxing them to death.

While Griebel’s energy and commitment to running have him driving around the state every day to tell groups large and small about his mantra of smaller government and a more business-friendly Connecticut, he’s still mired in single digits in the polls.

The recent Quinnipiac University Poll found him with only 7 percent support among Republican voters in the run-up to next Tuesday’s statewide gubernatorial primary, lagging behind Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele, of Stamford, and front-runner Tom Foley, of Greenwich.

Griebel is unfazed, staring into a 217-gallon brew kettle with DelGreco, as Ashley Maagero, his spokeswoman, snaps a few pictures to post on Twitter.

Over the din of the beer flowing from the brew kettle into the heat exchanger, Griebel asks DelGreco about what he needs to make business easier.

That’s when Griebel learns a new word, “growler,” which, thanks to legislation passed in recent years by the General Assembly, allows brew pubs to sell half-gallon glass bottles of beer for take-out and off-premises consumption.

If Griebel gets elected, he says, he’ll push for a constitutional amendment that would keep lawmakers away from the Capitol every other year, forcing them to enact two-year budgets with no flexibility for rewriting them. That way, he says, it could become a part-time Legislature once again.

Griebel, former chairman of the state’s Transportation Strategy Board, says he would push for reinstating tolls on state highways, with the income expressly dedicated to needed transit improvements.

Griebel says he would also change the state’s pension program from a defined benefit plan to defined contribution plans, a tactic which, if he wins the primary next week, will make him a target for the 50,000 unionized state workers.

Nicknamed for Ozzie Nelson, the patriarch of an early TV sitcom, Griebel says he intends to force his personality — and team-building ethos — on the Legislature and state government.

He is an opponent of the state’s voluntary public financing program for state legislative and statewide races that will provide Fedele with more than $2 million.

Unlike Foley, who shortly after entering the campaign wrote checks to his race for more than $2 million, Griebel has raised about $450,000, including a $30,000 loan.

State Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, who has endorsed Griebel for governor, said Monday that he has known the candidate for a number of years, including during his stint leading the Transportation Strategy Board.

“I have found him to be a dynamic leader,” McKinney said. “I think he has vision. He has the ability to lead and bring people together I haven’t seen from the other candidates.”

McKinney said Griebel suffers from an obvious disadvantage in campaign funding: opting out of the public financing and not wealthy enough to write multimillion-dollar checks.

“He has less in his campaign coffers, but in a primary, you don’t know what will happen,” McKinney said, noting that with Fedele and Foley from Stamford and Greenwich, respectively, Griebel might be able to emerge victorious.

“He’s the only candidate from Hartford County, so he might have an advantage if the two candidates from Fairfield County beat each other up,” McKinney said. “What I have found is that a lot of Republicans, after hearing Oz, are impressed by what he says.”

McKinney said Griebel’s warnings about the state’s multibillion-dollar unfunded pension liabilities are being echoed by no other candidates at this point.

“We have the largest per-capita debt in the country, and the fund could go bankrupt before 2019,” McKinney said. “To me, tackling the toughest issues in the state is a real sign of leadership. He is running not to be a political leader, but the leader of the state.”

Chris Healy, GOP state chairman, agreed that Griebel has helped shape the issues in the primary race.

“I think Oz has brought an incredible amount of energy and has brought the focus on some important issues to this campaign,” Healy said in a Monday interview. “A lot of it is nuts-and-bolts material that isn’t sexy, but he understands the mechanics of what needs to be done in government.”

In the brewing chamber at the SBC, DelGreco has just told Griebel that he’s unaffiliated and not a registered Republican. “Well, look, would you at least consider going to your local registrar of voters and changing to Republican?” Griebel asks. “You have until Aug. 9.”

DelGreco says he’ll consider it.

“That’s all I can ask,” Griebel says.

Griebel understands both how government works and the needs of Connecticut’s businesses. But more importantly, Griebel brings a simple, common sense approach to this race — something sorely lacking in government today.

Unlike his opponents, he doesn’t pander to citizens with promises of no new taxes or offer unrealistic expectations that our fiscal problems can be solved by simply cutting spending.

Griebel understands the fiscal problem will not be solved in a year, and he is proposing a four-year freeze on the bottom line of state spending. Granted, that will be painful — but it makes sense, common sense. We cannot simply continue to spend more than what we collect.

We believe Griebel’s approach will force state government to begin to live within its means and become more efficient and effective without sacrificing critical government services. It will be a difficult task to achieve, but we’re confident he’s up to the challenge.

Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele and businessman Tom Foley offer nothing new. Fedele, as much as he would like to shield himself from criticism behind the state Constitution, is a member of the current administration, and therefore shares in the responsibility for the state’s current problems.

Foley, we don’t believe, is a man of conviction. We fear he will simply take the most expedient and easy solution in resolving problems, with little concern for the impact it will have on our state and its residents.
Griebel is committed, thoughtful and passionate about serving. That’s leadership.

EDITORIAL: Oz Griebel for Connecticut governor
Sunday, July 25, 2010

Connecticut has 16 days to realize just how important its race for governor is this year, and why the Aug. 10 primary matters as much as the general election in November.

The faith of the business community in the economic and regulatory climate in this state is at an all-time low. And if the “culture” of state government does not change, we are at risk of an exponential spiraling of well-paying jobs moving out of this state.

Meanwhile, there is no consensus for covering the deficits caused by the worsening economy of the past two years, and an even higher tax burden looms as the worst possible solution to the hole that we’ve dug.

Connecticut needs a leader who will depart from the passive approach of the Jodi Rell administration and be the state’s chief salesperson and facilitator of job creation.

We believe the person ideally suited for this role is Oz Griebel, and we urge voters in the Aug. 10 Republican primary to support him.

Griebel’s experience as the CEO of a major business in Connecticut, and his work at the Metro Hartford Alliance, give him a real-world perspective on the problems and opportunities facing our state.

We’ve joked before that his primary opponent Tom Foley’s experience as ambassador to Ireland is the only thing more irrelevant to what needs to be done for Connecticut than Michael Fedele’s job as lieutenant governor.

But there is truth in this. Foley and Democratic primary frontrunner Ned Lamont are two guys spending millions of dollars of their own money to win political office.

They both wanted to be U.S. senators, and are in the race for governor as a consolation prize. Neither has shown any public sign over the past few years of engagement in the most important issues facing Connecticut.

Oz Griebel, making his first run for political office, is at a disadvantage because he doesn’t have Foley’s personal fortune to invest in a campaign, and he has refused on principle to take the $2.5 million of taxpayer money that is funding the campaign of Fedele and Fedele’s running mate.

But Oz Griebel’s gravitas and the results-oriented pragmatism he would bring to the office shine through when the three are together.

His message about jobs and changing the culture and reputation of our state government is refreshing, and his down-to-earth, problem-solving style is sorely needed in Hartford.

In the Republican primary for Connecticut governor Aug. 10, we endorse Oz Griebel.

A clever Oz supporter and an active phone banker for the campaign immediately drew this correlation to his recent volunteer work making phone calls to voters, and inspired the campaign to develop this web video.

Enjoy!

Don’t forget to watch the Republican Gubernatorial Debate, July 28th at 7:00PM on Channel 8.

TORRINGTON — If he’s elected the next governor of Connecticut, Simsbury businessman Oz Griebel sees himself as the chief economic development officer for the state, with the responsibility of bringing new jobs, support for the businesses in every community and a strong, conservative approach to the state’s budget.

“We need an aggressive sales approach to keep jobs in Connecticut,” he said, during his visit Monday to the offices of The Register Citizen. “Connecticut needs a hungry governor — a national recruiter.”

Griebel, president and CEO of the MetroHartford Alliance and former chairman of the state’s Transportation Strategy Board, spoke candidly about the state’s budget difficulties during the last legislative session and criticized Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s decision to veto the proposed budget package. That decision, he noted, was a mistake. “She should have made a stand,” he said. “It would have sent a message that she wasn’t going to back down.”

He’ll be tougher in that situation, he said, if it happens again, because the cost of living in Connecticut is making people angry and frustrated. “People are angry — they’re in pain,” he said, noting that even those who are employed have lost things like their 401(k) savings or retirement funds.

“We need to turn that pain into positive energy,” Griebel said. “It’s going to be tough, but it’s the governor’s job to make things better, to make things change.”

Griebel said he thought about running around the same time that Republican Tom Foley and incumbent Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele did, soon after Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced her retirement last November. Griebel made his announcement in February. On Monday, he was joined by Sen. Andrew Roraback, R-30, who has endorsed the Republican candidate’s election campaign and spoke with him about partisan politics in Hartford and the need for more Republicans on the House floor.

“There will probably still be a majority of Democrats, but we do need more Republicans,” Griebel said. When asked if there were any Democrats he saw eye-to-eye with, Griebel said yes.

“There are a lot of Democrats in the legislature who care a lot about the future of our state,” he said. “But it’s still the GOP’s job to be more fiscally conservative — and there are Democrats too, who feel that way … they should be aligned with the governor.”

“But once you’re elected, you’re the governor of the 3.6 million people of the state, not the Republican party,” Griebel added.

He also believes economic development is a key element to building Connecticut’s economy back up again.

“The best thing we can do for the state is let them know we’re serious about creating jobs,” he said. Some of his ideas to further that “serious” approach include using the state’s chambers of commerce to reach out to the business community, and supporting tourism by bringing more events into the state. He pointed to the annual PGA Golf Tournament and the upcoming Visa Gymnastics competition as just a few examples of ways to bring more visitors and money into Connecticut.

“I’ve got to be the visible face to promote that economic development,” he reiterated.

Dealing with the state’s deficit is one of his biggest challenges, Griebel continued. “It’s not going to be easy to get costs under control,” he said. “That means asking, ‘What do we absolutely need?’

Regionalizing services including police departments and education could be considered, Griebel said. Later, he spoke about educational costs, and said that while he has “enormous respect” for state employees and teachers, towns and the state need to get a handle on what they can afford. “We need more teacher concessions,” he said, referring to a method towns use to ask teachers’ unions to agree to wage freezes to save money during a difficult budget year. “Look at the regionalization of shared services … we’ve put Boards of Education in this holier-than-thou temple. Is that right for municipal government? I don’t know.

Griebel also disagreed with some candidates’ business approach to government. “You cannot run government like a business,” he said. “You’re not the owner of the government. You can’t fire your employees willy-nilly.”

Griebel also spent some time campaigning in the city Monday, visiting businesses and speaking with people to hear their concerns.

Thanks to Mike O’Toole for putting this together.

On Aug. 10, GOP primary voters across Connecticut will choose between three distinct candidates to lead our state and party forward as the next Republican governor.

For the past two decades, I’ve been intimately involved with Connecticut’s business, civic and government communities. I know the players and understand how the system works, yet I’m the only candidate who brings the fresh perspective and experience necessary to change business as usual.

Most recently, I served as president and CEO of the Metro Hartford Alliance, the state’s largest private economic development organization. There, I worked alongside entrepreneurs and business leaders, ensuring the Capital region’s aggressive competition for jobs. Prior to the Alliance, I led Bank Boston Connecticut during a financial crisis similar to what our state faces today and restored the severely battered reputation of a damaged franchise.

I’ve also been deeply engaged civically, having been appointed and elected to positions including chairing the Transportation Strategy Board, the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts and the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. I’m uniquely familiar with the intricacies of Connecticut’s economy in sectors ranging from banking to manufacturing. This experience, coupled with my existing relationships with key stakeholders, will be critical to the restoration of the 100,000 jobs our state has lost.

As you consider my qualifications and those of my two opponents, I call your attention to several main differences between us:

First, unlike Tom Foley, I did not have to consider which office I wanted to seek. Tom’s initial and significant financial commitment to the Senate race raises questions about whether his desire is to serve the public good or burnish his own resume.

Secondly, over the past several weeks, significant information relative to Tom’s background — in business, Iraq and even his personal life — has surfaced. As candidates, we have an obligation to disclose all pertinent information about our pasts that will affect our ability to win in November and govern come January. Tom’s initial attempt to dismiss media revelations about his arrests follows a pattern of glossing over his record in business and Iraq. Recent news articles investigating both reveal significant discrepancies between Tom’s characterizations and those who observed or worked with him.

The failure to pre-empt such issues, rather than having them exposed by the media, not only reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the electoral process, but moreover, disregard for the significant risks that it poses for all Republican candidates in the November election.

Furthermore, Tom’s experience has been largely outside of Connecticut and in close alignment with past administrations. The magnitude of the challenges we face requires a leader who innately understands what makes our state tick, and is free from the shackles of the past. Owning primary stakes in out-of-state companies and raising money for national Republican candidates may make him a national fundraiser, but they don’t qualify him to be Governor of Connecticut.

Regarding my other opponent, Mike Fedele has clearly aligned himself with the past four years of government that has created the very fiscal crisis we face. At the same time, Mike has not received the endorsements of Governor Rell or the party after working closely with them. This is telling.

Mike has also elected to take public financing, touting his usage of up to $8 million dollars of taxpayer money to fund his campaign amid an unprecedented budget crisis. This is irresponsible. I have clearly rejected this option as the antithesis of Republican principles. As governor, I will seek the law’s repeal to eliminate the use of public monies to fund political campaigns and its Constitutional flaws. If contributions are made public in real-time, voters can decide whether or not they approve of the funds candidates accept to run their campaigns.

Republicans, the differences between your three choices to lead our party and state forward are unmistakable. My extensive Connecticut experience at the nexus of business and public policy, and commitment to transparency and accessibility distinguish me very specifically from Tom and Mike, and make me the best prepared candidate for the job.

Make no mistake, Connecticut faces significant challenges. As governor, I will make the tough decisions to ensure brighter days are ahead. With sustained and engaged leadership, we can and will do better. On Aug. 10, make your voice heard. Together, we can return Connecticut to a state of opportunity and prosperity for all.

Oz Griebel is a Republican candidate for governor. He and his wife, Kirsten, live in Simsbury.

(Published in print and online – CT Post, Greenwich Times, Stamford Advocate)

WEST HARTFORD – Griebel general counsel Dan Papermaster, managing partner of Bingham McCutchen’s Hartford office and campaign manager Ashley Maagero made the following joint statement regarding today’s SEEC hearing on the legality of double counting campaign contributions through the Citizens Election Program.

“Today, a Hartford Superior Court Judge will consider, among other things,  the eligibility of duplicate campaign contributions solicited and received by Mike Fedele, Mark Boughton and their ultimate joint campaign,” said Dan Papermaster, managing partner of Bingham McCutchen’s Hartford office and general counsel for the Griebel campaign.  “We will intervene in the proceeding to support our view that the SEEC is improperly interpreting the law and should not be double counting contributions.”

“As a philosophical matter, Oz continues his opposition to the Citizens Election Program,” said Ashley Maagero.  “Today, our legal team will intervene as described above.  Meanwhile, Oz will continue meeting voters across Connecticut by touring the University of New Haven with business leader Sam Bergami and holding a meet and greet with employees and administrators.”

Papermaster will be available for comment before and after the hearing on site.

at the

Republican Gubernatorial Debate

7PM, Wednesday July 28
Garde Arts Center, New London

Doors open at 6PM
(No admission after 6:40PM)

Please arrive no later than 5:30PM.
We will be meeting outside the Garde where we will give you your ticket.

FIRST 50 TICKET SIGN-UPS GET AN OZ T-SHIRT!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT