Green Party of Connecticut

News Release
July 27, 2010 - for immediate release

Contact:
Mike DeRosa
State Co-Chair and Secretary of State Candidate (860) 919-4042
Tim McKee
Green Party Spokesperson and National Committee member, (860) 778-1304

Green Party candidate for Secretary of State Mike DeRosa said today that Denise Merrill's remarks to The Norwich Bulletin are "confused and troubling for a candidate for Secretary of the State". According to The Norwich Bulletin, Merrill said that she is not responsible for the state debt, blames former President Bush for the state troubles, and she also remarked that it is okay to discriminate against third party and independent candidates.

DeRosa said "Look, no one was a bigger opponent of George W. Bush than me, but after 18 years at the state house, Merrill needs to claim some of the responsibility for the state' problems". Merrill was chairman of the Appropriations Committee (the committee that spends taxpayers' money) for four years and was the majority leader for the last two years. DeRosa suggested that "What we need is new leadership in the SOTS office that will address the real political and economic needs of all of our citizens".

DeRosa added that "her remarks that it is okay to have different rules for third party and independents candidates is part of the reason I filed a suit against the recent Clean Election Fund"(DeRosa is one of lead plaintiff in the Federal Court Case Green Party vs. Garfield). "What we need in Connecticut politics is more voices and more choices, not blatant discrimination from the highest election official in the state" DeRosa said.

He added, "If petitioning to gain access to Connecticut Election Fund money is such a precise method for determining who are the proper candidates to get these handsome grants, why don' the Republicans and Democrats apply these petitioning requirements to themselves?" DeRosa added, "Under the CEP, I must collect 208,000 valid signatures on petitions for SOTS to get a full grant. How many signatures do our Republican and Democratic opponents have to collect under the CEP to get their huge grants? The answer is none".

DeRosa added "The next Secretary of the State needs to be unbiased and she or he should treat ALL candidates and ALL political parties equally and fairly, and I will promise to do that, will she?"

DeRosa also asked that Merrill debate him and other candidates in state wide venues on radio and television. He noted that there were NO debates for this office four years ago.

-30-

commentary from the Norwich Bulletin

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This email is for press and media notices for the Connecticut Green Party

Contact:
Tim McKee cell (860) 778-1304
Press spokesperson and National Committee Member

Green Party of Connecticut 

Scott Deshefy for Congress
2nd Congressional District CT

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