STUART, Fla. -- Convenience-store magnate and gubernatorial candidate Christy Mihos, 67, died in hospice care on March 25 in Stuart, Fla., after a cancer diagnosis, his sister, Marlene Bucuvalas, told The Cape Cod Times.
Mihos was born and raised in Brockton, Mass. During his youth, he worked in his family's supermarket. His Greek immigrant grandfather opened the original store in Brockton during the Depression.
Mihos owned the convenience-store chain Christy's Markets on Cape Cod. In the 1970s, Mihos began running the chain as president and CEO. At its peak, the chain included 144 stores throughout New England. In the 1980s, Mihos and his brother, James, took over the stores run by their father and uncle.
Mihos lost a bid for the Massachusetts state Senate in 1990 and lost two bids for Massachusetts governor, in 2006 as an independent and in 2010 as a Republican.
In 1998, Mihos and his brother sold the c-store business to 7-Eleven for $33 million. Mihos bought back 10 of the stores on Cape Cod soon after the deal and operated them as Christy's of Cape Cod. He opened five additional stores.
Mihos sold 11 c-stores on Cape Cod under his control to Hess Corp. in 2009. He closed his last c-store in October 2010.
In the early 2000s, as vice chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, he predicted that the Boston transportation project known as the “Big Dig” would cost taxpayers billions more than originally planned because of corruption and mismanagement. He was proved right, said the report, and published a book, "Rotten to the Core: The Real Dirt on Boston's Big Dig," in 2012.
Mihos filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in January 2013, declaring his business was $2.6 million in debt and controlled less than $1 million in assets. In July 2013, Christy's of Cape Cod LLC's former office headquarters was sold for $525,000 to a Hyannis, Mass., petroleum company.
Mihos is survived by his two children, his sister and his brother, as well as aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnephews and grandnieces. He was preceded in death by his parents, Peter Mihos and Marie (Vouros) Mihos. A funeral service is set for March 30 at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Fort Pierce, Fla., according to Haisley Funeral & Cremation Services.
CSP sends condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
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