Ginne-Ray Clay resigned Tuesday as the executive director of the Social Equity Council, an agency that oversees elements of Connecticut's cannabis industry and is the subject of an audit requested by Gov. Ned Lamont. "Regrettably, my final days in this role have been marred by unsubstantiated allegations, threats, and publicly leaked false narratives, all of which have unjustly called my character and integrity into question," she wrote in her resignation.
Clay offered no specifics, but The Connecticut Mirror reported two weeks ago that the council's chair, Andréa Comer, received a complaint that Clay suggested that a license applicant make a donation to the church she attends. Clay denied the allegation.
Clay could not be reached for comment, but an ally on the council, Mike Jefferson of New Haven, defended her. "It's a sad day for me. I think she was a victim of a personal vendetta and personal infighting," Jefferson said. "It's unfortunate, because I think she was a very competent executive director, very intelligent and very hard working, and, most importantly I think, she was very compassionate about what was needed for Black and brown communities across this state."
Comer was not alone in questioning Clay's management and what the governor's legal counsel and others complained was the absence of a strategy in the first distribution of social equity funds raised by cannabis licenses.
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