Longtime Connecticut treasurer Denise Nappier will not seek re-election

Denise L. Nappier, having served as state treasurer for nearly two decades, which is the longest tenure in modern Connecticut history, announced she will not seek re-election this year.

First elected in 1998, Nappier will have served for 20 years when her fifth term ends in January 2019. She was the first African-American woman elected to serve as a State Treasurer in the United States, the first African-American woman elected to a statewide office in Connecticut, and the first woman elected treasurer in state history.

Connecticut’s pension plans and trust funds, invested by the Treasurer’s Office, have grown from less than $19 billion to more than $34 billion during the Nappier administration, an all-time high. In fiscal year 2017, Connecticut had one of the 10 best investment performances among its peers in the nation and during the length of the Nappier administration, the Treasury has achieved investment returns that meet or exceed the average performance of its peers while taking on less risk.

Nappier does not plan on retiring. “I intend to take some rest, and then get back out there and hit the pavement and try to make a difference once again in the lives of people,” said Nappier at a press conference.