Maybe the Wizard Can Win the GOP Primary

I talked with Oz Griebel last week, trying to find out which of the candidates for governor planned to show up at this year's Crocodile Club.
Oz was the only one I spoke with who really knew what it was, though he'd never been to it.
For the record, Democrat Dan Malloy seemed to have heard of it (his running mate Nancy Wymany LOVES it) and Republican Tom Foley said he'd like to learn more. Democrat Ned Lamont and Republican Mike Fedele did not respond to my queries at all.
Anyway, back to Oz. He thought the Croc might be a great place to get ideas, which I thought was a wonderful attitude and indicative of his approach.
During our conversation, he also told me he's confident about the primary, which is Tuesday, August 10.
He said he thought he did well in the most recent debate, that Foley's numbers were dropping and Foley and Fedele were busy beating up on each other.
Oz told me he believed he could win it. I wished him well. It would be so cool to have a governor named Oz, don't you think?
Remember, the Crocodile Club is Tuesday, August 31 at Lake Compounce. Don't miss it!

The Great and Powerful Wizard??

Straight from the Emerald City, in came Oz this morning.
That's Oz Griebel, a Republican who is running for governor. I wondered how come he didn't introduce himself as "the great and powerful wizard of Connecticut" and he just laughed. Then he told me I could feel free to call him that in my story.
In my story for The Bristol Press (http://www.bristolpress.com/) I didn't call him that, but on Extra B.S., I can. Who knows if he is really a wizard, but Connecticut sure needs one with the fix we're in.
He did one of those chamber coffee chats this morning (thanks to the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce for organizing all these) and as usual, it was interesting to meet and listen to someone who wants to have a go at turning the state around from financial disaster into economic prosperity.
He talked a lot about thinking outside the box. My impression is that if he's governor, just about everything might be up for grabs, with nothing assumed. He questioned whether we need two state university systems, whether we really need all the hospitals we have operating independently, whether towns and the state could considate and regionalize to save money and make things work better. He seemed open to ideas and full of energy.
He supports the New Britain to Hartford busway project, which didn't go over well. He said he'd be open to discussing it, but definitely did not waver in his support. That set him apart from several of the Democrats who have been in town, each saying to various degrees that they don't like the idea.
I had to ask how he got the name Oz, which is pretty cool, if you think about it, especially for a candidate. It's certainly memorable. He said he got it when he was a kid because his middle name was Nelson. It came from the old TV show, "Ozzie and Harriet."
I found things to like both personally and philosophically about every one of the candidates who have visited Bristol so far. Many of them had similar messages (how many times can you say we need to get our fiscal house in order, anyway?).
The state party conventions are next month. It'll be interesting to see if the Republicans recruit the man behind the curtain.

John Smith Shows His Funny Bone

So at the Oz Griebel gathering this morning at the chamber, everything was pretty much S.O.P. until former Mayor Bill Stortz asked a question.
Well, that was also standard operating procedure... since Stortz loves to ask questions. But then retired teacher John Smith piped up.
Don't ask me what his question was, though. It was something about colleges. In the middle of his question, Stortz says it "took me 17 years to get through college."
"You're done?" says Smith.

Oz Coming to the Mum City

Oz Griebel, a Republican hoping to snag his party's nomination for governor, will be the guest of honor at the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce coffee chat on Thursday morning, at the rise-and-shine hour of 8 a.m.
The chamber coffee chats are open to anyone and they've been pretty interesting, if you care at all about the people who are or will be running the state, and what their plans are.
It's great that the chamber is hosting these events and making them open to all. It would be nice to see a few more people there.
I would post a picture of Oz but there isn't one on his website I can use, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow and ask him for one. Hint to candidates: make it easy for people to get your photo off your site!
The chamber shares office space with the United Way and the Main Street Community Foundation at 200 Main Street, just a couple doors up the hill from the Press.