Another endorsement for Tuesday’s Democratic primary:  There are three strong candidates for Treasurer:  Tom Conroy, Barry Finegold, and Deborah Goldberg.  I’m supporting Tom Conroy.

Tom is a State Rep from Maynard, Sudbury, and Wayland.  I know one person who’s worked with him on legislative issues and has high praise for him based on that.  The Boston Globe has endorsed him.  I’ll quote from their endorsement here:

Those who seek the treasurer’s post often emphasize its more symbolic possibilities, such as promoting economic empowerment and financial literacy among the public, over the actual nitty-gritty duties that the treasurer must perform daily. Those duties are important: The treasurer manages the state’s cash flow and debt, oversees the state lottery and key aspects of the state retirement system, chairs the Massachusetts School Building Authority, and has responsibility for the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. Three credible Democrats are competing for their party’s nomination as treasurer. But voters should choose the candidate who is best prepared to perform the treasurer’s duties – and is most interested in doing so.

That candidate is Tom Conroy. Currently a state representative from Wayland, Conroy has a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins in international economics and an MBA in finance from Boston University. He has worked in the private sector as a financial and risk-management consultant. He understands clearly how securing favorable financing terms for major state debt issuances can save money that can be directed toward other needed projects. He sees how giving cities and towns access to the state’s investment expertise can reduce fiscal pressure on municipal authorities. Meanwhile, his wide-ranging public-sector experience, which includes everything from working with refugees on behalf of the US State Department to chairing the Legislature’s Labor and Workforce Development Committee, bespeaks a commitment to maximizing the good that government can do for people by making it work effectively.

Some additional information from Tom’s campaign website:

He is currently the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development previously served as the Vice Chair of the Health Care Financing Joint Committee.  In 2009 he was appointed to Governor Patrick’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Science Advisory Council.

Throughout his career, Tom has been focused on public service and problem solving.  After graduating from Yale, he worked for two U.S. Senators, Gary Hart and Barbara Mikulski, ultimately serving as her foreign policy and national security assistant.

Tom’s passion for helping the most vulnerable members of society brought him to Southeast Asia, where helped refugees from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Burma resettle in the United States. That experience led to his role establishing a refugee center in Haiti for the Clinton Administration.

Tom received his an MA in International Economics from Johns Hopkins in Washington DC, and an MBA in Finance from Boston University.  He worked in the business sector with various consulting groups in the Greater Boston area, where he focused on helping state agencies manage their finances and guiding private firms to develop more efficient finance practices.

Personally, I’m even more impressed by his innovative suggestions for how the Treasurer can address environmental issues.