Female Greenwich State Senator Reveals Relationship With A Woman

GREENWICH, CT — First-term state Sen. Alex Bergstein (D-36th) publicly announced on Facebook over the weekend that she is in a relationship with a former campaign colleague who also is a woman.

In the post, which carries the hashtags #loveislove and #ourloveandpurpose, Bergstein states that she and Nichola Samponaro fell in love after Bergstein was elected to the state Senate, while Samponaro was her personal assistant.

Samponaro had worked on Bergstein's campaign and then moved into the personal assistant role. Bergstein's post does not specify when, but after falling in love, the two ended the professional aspect of their relationship.

"Long after my marriage had ended emotionally and physically, I made the decision to end it legally," Bergstein wrote (see the post below with a photo of Bergstein and Samponaro). "Once I was free and empowered, I was able to see other paths to happiness. Nichola and I worked together on my campaign and after the Election she stayed on as a personal assistant. Like many others, we fell in love through our work and then ended our professional relationship. She shares my passion for making positive change and continues to support me as my partner. Anyone who suggests there's something inappropriate about our relationship is close-minded and wrong. There's no scandal here."

It is unclear whether the end of Bergstein's statement was in reference to any specific individuals or incidents where her relationship was questioned, but judging from the overwhelmingly positive support she has received in comments to the Facebook post, Bergstein's constituents are not at all fazed by the revelation.

Bergstein made the announcement to show support for the recent vote by the U.S. House of Representatives on the Equality Act, which extends Civil Rights protections to the LGBTQ community.

"We’re proud to live in a state that values Equality and Acceptance," Bergstein wrote.

Patch reached out to Bergstein - who represents Greenwich and parts of New Canaan and Stamford - for a comment and received the following reply from press aide Lawrence Cook, "Senator Bergstein has no comment on her personal life."