⚓️ DEEP DIVE ⚓️ Stamford Democrats Win Across City in 2025 Municipal Elections
BOR Majority Increases to All 40 Seats
STAMFORD — Mirroring results statewide and all over the country, Democrats were victorious in Tuesday’s municipal elections.
From the mayor’s race to the contest for constable and everything in between, here’s what you need to know.
Mayor
Incumbent Caroline Simmons sailed to reelection with about two-thirds of the vote, despite a crowded field which also included perennial Republican candidate Nicola Tarzia, a former Board of Education member, and three write-in candidates, David Cherniack, Fritz Chery, and Michael T. Loughran, Jr.
According to results provided by the Secretary of the State’s office, Simmons acquired 15,829 votes on the Democratic Party line and 676 votes on the Independent Party line for a combined total of 65.53% of the vote. Tarzia received 7,874 votes or 31.27% and the trio of write-in candidates obtained the remaining 3.2% of the vote.
In remarks after polls closed, Simmons, the city’s first woman mayor, applauded the efforts of volunteers and reflected on the historic outcome, in part noting that Democrats got a “clean sweep” in winning every single Board of Representatives (BOR) seat.
The result “sends a message to the state and to the country that we’re going to continue to lean into our values as Democrats and to continue to work to become a city that is more inclusive, equitable and affordable for everyone,” Simmons said, as reported by Ignacio Laguarda of the Stamford Advocate.
Town Clerk
In the race for Town Clerk, Democrat David Hoak won in a three-way competition with incumbent Lyda Ruijter on the Independent line and Gerald Bosak running as a Republican.
In the end, Hoak secured some 12,939 votes or 52.90% followed by Bosak with 7,978 votes or 32.62% and then Ruijter with 3,541 votes or 14.48%.
Board of Education
Due to Connecticut General Statutes § 9-167a, a state rule requiring minority representation on some city boards, Democrats could only win two seats in the Board of Education race. Four Democrats already serve on the board and they are not able to have more than six members out of the nine total seats for elected members.
Democratic candidates included newcomers Dr. Jennifer Werely, a recent PTO president at Turn of River Middle School and mother of three children in the Stamford Public Schools (SPS) district, and Adam Vandervoort, a corporate attorney who recently had children in Stamford schools, as well as current Board of Education President Michael Hyman.
For the Republicans, Kristopher O’Brien, general manager for an electrical and generator department at a home services company with three children in the SPS system, and Dennis LoDolce, an assistant for the city’s Road Maintenance Division, ran to serve on the Board.
After results were tallied, Werely ended up with 15,275 votes on the Democratic line and 2,426 votes on the Independent line for a total of 27.81% of the overall vote. Werely’s overall 17,701 votes were the most for any candidate on the ballot. Following her was Vandervoort with 13,798 votes or 21.68% of the total and Hyman with 13,707 votes or 21.54% of the total.
On the Republican and Independent lines, O’Brien received a combined 9,296 votes or 14.61% of the total and LoDolce got 9,140 votes or 14.36% of the total.
Werely, Vandervoort, and O’Brien will be the newest members of the Board of Education.
Board of Finance
Democrats running for the Board of Finance were current BOF chairman Richard Freedman as well as newcomers Kimberly Gustin, an economist working in compliance and risk sales who serves as a community leader with Indivisible Stamford, and Christopher Malloy, a former banker and current building company executive who serves as a member of the Democratic City Committee (DCC).
Republicans Jennifer Munger, Tom Dougherty, and Kate Lombardo also ran for the Board of Finance. Munger is a senior director of technical accounting and tax at Cumming Group, Dougherty is a member of the city’s Board of Appraisal Appeals, and Lombardo is former executive director of The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County Food Bank.
Similarly for the Board of Finance, the state’s minority representation rule meant that Democrats would only win one seat this time, which went to Freedman after he won with 14,652 votes and 21.28% of the total.
Malloy obtained 14,494 votes or 21.05% followed by Gustin, who received 14,430 votes or 20.96%.
The two remaining seats went to Munger, who got 8,624 votes and 12.52% of the total, and Dougherty, who secured 8,350 votes and 12.13% of the vote.
Board of Representatives
Since the Board of Representatives districts are based on geographical data, the minority representation rule does not apply so Democrats will soon hold every seat across the twenty districts when the new term starts.
Republicans lost their remaining three seats on the city’s legislative body this cycle. Minority Leader Mary Fedeli of District 17 and David Watkins of District 1 were both unsuccessful in their reelection campaigns. Fellow Republican Thomas Kuczynski opted not to run again.
The names of BOR winners for each district are bolded.
District 1:
Tom Bouchard (D) - 995 votes and 30.73%
Steven Shore (D) - 872 votes and 26.93%
David Watkins (R) - 710 votes and 21.93%
Julia Anderson (R) - 609 votes and 18.81%
Alfonso R. Hernandez (I) - 52 votes and 1.61%
District 2:
Virgil de la Cruz (D) - 485 votes and 41.31%
Lori Hyatt (D) - 469 votes and 39.95%
Jason Kinard (R) - 171 votes and 14.57%
Heidy J. Balderamos (I) - 49 votes and 4.17%
District 3:
Chanta Graham (D) - 448 votes and 41.95%
Terry Adams (D) - 467 votes and 43.73%
Kyle Smith (R) - 153 votes and 14.33%
District 4:
Glenn Price (D) - 420 votes and 38.25%
Ricardo Salas (D) - 435 votes and 39.62%
Erika Talnagi (R) - 144 votes and 13.11%
Robert Roqueta (PET) - 99 votes and 9.02%
District 5:
Nicole Beckham (D) - 416 votes and 47.11%
Kierra Dorsey (D) - 390 votes and 44.17%
Sheila Williams-Brown (R) - 53 votes and 6.00%
Thomas Concannon (I) - 24 votes and 2.72%
District 6:
Parker Johnson (D) - 749 votes and 42.53%
Ryan Hughes (D) - 785 votes and 44.58%
Francise Jean-Louis (R) - 227 votes and 12.89%
District 7:
Michael McKeown (D) - 559 votes and 39.26%
Winton Hill (D) - 577 votes and 40.52%
Michael Battinelli (R) - 288 votes and 20.22%
District 8:
Theodore Gross (D) - 496 votes and 33.00%
Matthew Yeager (D) - 558 votes and 37.13%
Maria Larrea (R) - 353 votes and 23.49%
Ammy G. Hernandez (I) - 96 votes and 6.39%
District 9:
Kindrea Walston (D) - 471 votes and 44.14%
Candace Weathers (D) - 455 votes and 42.64%
Osvin Lucero-Garcia (I) - 141 votes and 13.21%
District 10:
Felix Gardner (D) - 566 votes and 36.97%
Stephanie Sylvestre (D) - 596 votes and 38.93%
Ken Wenberg (R) - 161 votes and 10.52%
Brittany L. Lawrence (I) - 208 votes and 13.59%
District 11:
Maureen Pollack (D) - 827 votes and 42.61%
Cara Gilbride (D) - 786 votes and 40.49%
Christopher Woodside (R) - 328 votes and 16.90%
District 12:
David Blank (D) - 788 votes and 42.03%
Ramya Shaw (D) - 765 votes and 40.80%
Carola Cammann (R) - 322 votes and 17.17%
District 13:
Amiel Goldberg (D) - 1,169 votes and 28.46%
Eric Morson (D/I) - 1,281 votes and 31.18%
David Portanova (R/I) - 900 votes and 21.91%
James Sarnelle (R) - 758 votes and 18.45%
District 14:
Andrew Zachary (D) - 929 votes and 49.84%
Dan Sandford (D) - 935 votes 50.16%
District 15:
Scott Stone (D) - 847 votes and 49.91%
Matthew Boudreau (D) - 850 votes and 50.09%
District 16:
Phillip G. Bradford (D) - 1,196 votes and 37.68%
Matthew Didelot (D) - 1,143 votes and 36.01%
Layne Rodney (R) - 835 votes and 26.31%
District 17:
Lewis Finkel (D) - 748 votes and 30.97%
Bobby Pavia (D) - 861 votes and 35.65%
Mary Fedeli (R) - 648 votes and 26.83%
Sean D. Boeger (I) - 158 votes and 6.54%
District 18:
Karen Camporeale (D) - 1,175 votes and 37.37%
Michael Field (D) - 1,069 votes and 34.00%
Timothy McGrath-DiMare (R) - 900 votes and 28.63%
District 19:
Noah Lapine (D) - 1,284 votes and 38.13%
John Pelliccia (D) - 1,262 votes and 37.48%
William Aron (R) - 821 votes and 24.38%
District 20:
Carl Weinberg (D) - 1,281 votes and 39.62%
Jeff Wirz (D) - 1,188 votes and 36.75%
Vincent Sessano (R) - 764 votes 23.63%
Constable
With all seven Constable seats up this year, Democrats could retain their majority with four seats. The DCC endorsed incumbents Jon Gallup, Robert Miller, and Tiffany Pippins as well as newcomer Angie Murphy, an employee benefits administrator.
Republicans endorsed incumbents Eva Maldonado, Alan Shaw, and Joseph Tarzia as well as newcomer Jonathan Portanova, a part-time gym manager.
Another candidate, Cora Santaguida, ran with the Green Party.
Murphy came in first among Constable candidates with 14,838 votes or 16.93% of the total followed by Miller with 13,946 votes and 15.91%, Pippins with 13,892 votes and 15.85%, and Gallup with 13,408 votes and 15.30%.
The last three seats went to Republicans Tarzia with 7,982 votes and 9.11%, Maldonado with 7,784 votes and 8.88%, and Portanova with 7,771 votes and 8.87%.
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