Meet Jim
Jim, born James Leonard Griffin on March 30th, 1950, in Waterbury, Connecticut grew up in an idyllic time in American history. The son of a Navy veteran who fought in the Pacific Theater during World War 2, who then came home to an honest good paying job in the manufacturing sector, and, a mother who worked as a nurse while raising Jim and his 3 brothers and sisters. Raised in blue collar, hardworking Bristol, CT Jim enjoyed a vibrant childhood, where his community had very little to no crime, neighbors not only knew each other’s names but cared about and for each other like family. The community was bound together by a strong presence of the church, along with a deep love for the country.
As an Eagle boy scout, duty, hard work, loyalty, community, and patriotism were all instilled in Jim from a very, very young age. In high school Jim was a star athlete and student for Bristol Eastern High School; he was captain of the varsity swim team and pitcher for the varsity baseball team. Jim was also student council president, and was selected to represent Bristol Eastern High School at the CT American Legion, Boys State Convention. In Nov 1967 Jim made a Veterans Day Address to the student body about his view on the Vietnam Conflict in which he fervently bellowed support for our soldiers while denouncing criticism of them from protestors. Jim was recognized for his message’s impact and it was read into the Congressional Record by then GOP Congressman later Governor, Rep. Thomas J. Meskill. Jim was later appointed as a cadet to West Point Academy by Senator Abe Ribicoff of CT.
While at West Point, Jim was involved in many things, in addition to his studies and officer duties he took up athletics and joined clubs, just like in high school. Jim captained the Judo team, and became the director of the Cadet Public Relations Council. After graduating from West Point Jim decided to go into Military Intelligence. He spent seven plus years in Army Intelligence serving in various Intelligence support roles to CIA, NSA and DIA. He served as principal pentagon briefing officer to White House NSC, State Department Principals, Pentagon Chiefs of Staff and pertinent House and Senate Committees reporting on Soviet and emerging Chinese conventional level/non-Nuclear Arms threat to US’ own capabilities. This included that of emerging Chinese chemical biological weapons threat, with focus on CCP’s Wuhan Medical Bio-Weapons facility.
Jim then accepted a position in the US Senate in 1980 to assist US Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN), in his responsibilities in areas of Defense/Foreign Policy/Intel and Veterans Committee work. In 1984, he assumed a role at the Reagan White House in the OMB handling US’ Triad Nuclear Weapons budget then follow-on position working with AMB Robt Kimmitt, the Exec. Secretary of the NSC, helping prepare the White House’s National Security Council budget.
Jim then left the public sector to move into a role in the private sector in CT in early 1986 accepting a position as VP for Federal Government Relations for Hartford-based Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Co. In 1991 he accepted a position as VP for Federal/State Government Relations for Hartford-based US Defense Contractor, Colt’s Manufacturing Co., the Country’s oldest defense supplier.
In 1998 Jim was selected as Senior Advisor to the Albanian American community concerned with the fierce ethnic cleansing policies of then-Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic -- Europe’s last reigning Dictator -- against the Kosovar People. Jim was later cited in writing by White House National Security Council’s Greg Schulte, the Asst. Secretary of State for European Affairs, Margaret Bake, the Asst. Sec. of the Army for Congressional Affairs, GEN Bruce Scott, the Deputy Asst. Secretary of Defense for Africa and the Balkans Regions, AMB Bernd McConnell, for exemplary Service to our Country and to the Albanian People. First in gaining the trust of embattled pacifist Kosovar President Ibrahim Rugova, his young Prime Minister Hassam Thaci, the revered civilian Albanian Civil Rights Leader, Adem DeMaci, and, respected Kosovar Educator and opinion leader, Venton Sirois. During four danger-fraught trips to the war-torn Republic Jim persuaded them as to the West’s noble intention to assist; then, steadying and accompanying these same Kosovar leaders to come with him to France to participate in NATO and US/UK-sponsored peace talks at Rambouillet outside the City with the offending Yugoslav Dictator and his key staff. Subsequent to these talks, Serb Forces stubbornly continued their ethnic cleansing of the Kosovar Albanian people resulting in a sequence of successful events ending in the capitulation, capture and imprisonment of Milosevic and key aides for violation of those said accords. The Yugoslav Dictator’s subsequent imprisonment at The Hague for War Crimes Against Humanity ultimately followed from where he mercifully died in captivity awaiting trial in 2006.
Since 2012 Jim has established a CT-based, non-profit museum project to transform Hartford downtown’s masterpiece architectural structure, the ca. 1852, famed Colt “Blue Domed” Armory complex, into a deserved, national/international touristic, and educational premier destination site.
Jim is now happily re married to his wife Elana and they live together in Bristol, CT where he continues to be an active member of the community. Before deciding to run for office as a Republican Jim was actually a lifelong Kennedy/Reagan Democrat that still carries a little picture of JFK in his wallet. He says that his party left him and not the other way around, so in 2016 Jim officially left the Democrat Party, switched to Republican and voted for then-candidate Trump. Jim recognizes that the Democrat Party is no longer Democrat, they are Marxist-Communist, not all the Democrat voters but rather the party apparatus, that continues to hide behind the Democrat name while operating a very sinister, America hating, America subverting agenda. In the Issues/Platform page Jim will layout the real issues facing this country, their origin, and how “We the People” can work to solve our problems together.
