Since announcing his candidacy for governor in January, longtime Hartford businessman Nelson “Oz” Griebel has been doing what he’s done most of his professional career: making a sales pitch. But instead of trying to woo new customers, he’s vying for voters and delegates.
The task won’t be easy. He’s a Republican businessman in a Democrat-heavy state that’s been tilting against business interests for years. While well known in the capital region, he’s a virtual unknown in other parts of the state. And he’s running as a favorite son from a region that hasn’t elected a governor in over 30 years.
But long odds never deterred Griebel, a man noted for leading cheers for Hartford long before the city proclaimed itself a rising star.
According to a Quinnipiac University poll released in late January, Griebel could count on only 2 percent of his fellow Republicans voting for him if the election were held at that time. Another 59 percent said they were undecided.
Additionally, 96 percent of Republicans said they haven’t heard enough about him to form an opinion.
“It’s just so early that no one knows who he is yet,” said Douglas Schwartz, director of the Quinnipiac Poll.
But while early numbers paint him as a long shot, Griebel doesn’t think that’s the case.
“I’m not being cavalier and I’m not taking anything for granted, but I think the chances of winning the nomination are good, and I think the chances of winning the election in November are very good,” Griebel said in a recent interview.
Griebel, 60, said he is entering the political arena for the first time because the state needs someone with a proven track record of balancing a budget and spurring economic growth. His professional resume includes being former chairman of the state’s Transportation Strategy Board and president of the Metro Hartford Alliance. Before that, he was CEO of BankBoston Connecticut.
If elected, Griebel would be the first governor from Hartford County since the 1970s when Ella Grasso, a Democrat from Windsor Locks, held the office.
So far his message has been simple. As governor, he said, he would serve as Connecticut’s chief marketing officer and business developer.
And selling the state also means selling Hartford, said Griebel, who noted that the governor of Connecticut has to act in a de facto mayor capacity as well.
“The governor has to care deeply about the city because the reputation of Hartford oftentimes defines the reputation of Connecticut,” Griebel said, adding that it’s crucial for the governor and mayor to have a close partnership, similar to the one between former Mayor Mike Peters and Gov. John Rowland.
Griebel has been endorsed by several prominent business figures in Greater Hartford including Jim Barnes, the chairman of FM Facility Maintenance; Ramani Ayer, the former CEO of The Hartford; and Bob Patricelli, the CEO of Avon-based Evolutions Benefits.
“He’s a straight shooter and willing to tell you how it really is. That’s refreshing in a candidate for public office,” said the recently departed CEO of ConnectiCare, Mickey Herbert, who is another Griebel supporter.
Griebel is part of a crowded field of candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor. His competition includes Tom Foley of Greenwich, the former U.S. ambassador to Ireland, and Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele of Stamford, among others.
Two major obstacles Griebel faces are money and gaining notoriety beyond Greater Hartford. He said he’s not accepting public financing and doesn’t have the personal wealth to fund his own campaign.
He’s relying on his executive supporters to help with fundraising and hopes to leverage their influence to gain statewide attention. His first big test will come in May, when Republicans hold their convention. He will need to gain support from 15 percent of the delegates in order to get on the primary ballot in August.
Chris Healy, chairman of the Republican party, said the race remains wide open.
“Since Oz’s background has been in business, he has a very powerful story to tell,” Healy said. “But whether he can translate that into political and financial support remains to be seen.”
The biggest challenge facing the next governor will be to balance the budget amid a backdrop of declining state revenues. Griebel doesn’t claim to have a ready-made solution and said it will take years for the state to dig itself out of that hole.
He said the state’s first priority should be to cut spending by privatizing certain services, eliminating or consolidating state agencies, and reducing long-term unfunded liabilities like pension benefits.
One way to do that, Griebel said, would be to switch state employees’ defined-benefit pension plan to a cheaper defined-contribution plan.
Griebel also stressed the need to streamline the state’s costly higher education system and has expressed support for reinstating highway toll booths.
As an economic developer, Griebel said he would treat the governorship as a six- to seven-day a week job and be willing to visit businesses in and outside the state to ensure they stay or move here. He said although Connecticut has taken on an increasingly anti-business tone, it still has positive qualities to sell, including a highly educated workforce, and core transportation, health care, higher education infrastructure.
Among other things, Griebel said he would fight to bring trans-Atlantic service back to Bradley Airport, invest in a robust transportation system, and work with the legislature to make the University of Connecticut School of Medicine a top-tier institution.
Nelson ‘Oz’ Griebel makes a point while speaking at a candidates forum in Stamford recently.
