College Provost Nominated for Congress

Press Release

William Clyde, Provost and Professor of Economics and Finance at Manhattan College in Riverdale, N.Y., was endorsed as the Green Party candidate for U.S. Congress in Connecticut's 2nd District on August 19. He and his family live in Madison, CT

Dr. Clyde has never run for political office, having spent the past twenty-four years as a college professor and administrator. He was at Quinnipiac University from 1990 until 2007, teaching finance and serving in a variety of leadership roles. Prior to returning to academia, he was vice president in foreign exchange at First National Bank of Chicago (now part of JP Morgan Chase). He earned his PhD in economics at the Edinburgh University, Scotland, his M.S. in chemistry at New York University, and his undergraduate degree at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN. He has published widely, including a book out of Yale Press, Using Technology in Teaching.

Clyde has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including a community health center and the Connecticut State Advisory Committee on Accreditation. He has global experience, having traveled to twenty-five countries on four continents.

Asked why he is running, Clyde responded, "Congressional approval recently hit an all-time low of 9%. People around the second district, like people across the country, are discouraged and even disgusted by the infighting between Democrats and Republicans and the perpetual fundraising that prevent our elected officials from really dealing with the serious problems facing our country. We must address campaign reform, education, health care, and other important issues. I am running to offer a real alternative to the two-party, big-spending status quo."

Regarding his chances as a third-party candidate, he replied, "On the face of it, this is a long-shot candidacy. Joe Courtney has won by large margins in recent elections and incumbents win 90 per cent of the time. But almost half of voters in the 2nd district are registered as unaffiliated with either major party. I have talked to hundreds of people across the district and there is a desperate desire for real change. Indeed, the only reason I am on the ballot is that I did not see an alternative coming out of the major parties. Every so often, when the desire for change is great enough, something that seems unlikely or even impossible becomes, in the blink of an eye, inevitable. In any case, I look forward to sharing ideas and to the work ahead.

Scott Deshefy, Green Party nominee for Congress in 2008 and 2010 commented that, "Bill has a strong history of solving problems, building consensus, and managing change, all of which we desperately need in Washington. We all know we need something different in Washington. Bill has the experience to bring the change we need."

The Green Party has held a place on the ballot for Connecticut's 2nd district since 2008, when Scott Deshefy received over 2 per cent of the votes.

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