Bobby Valentine Addresses His Comments On Caroline Simmons

STAMFORD, CT — Bobby Valentine, the unaffiliated candidate for mayor of Stamford, came under fire earlier this week after he referred to his opponent, State Rep. Caroline Simmons (D-144) as a "35-year-old girl" in an Associated Press article.

"There's no chance of a 35-year-old girl who grew up in a private setting, going to a private school in Greenwich, Connecticut, could possibly relate to the diverse culture of Stamford, Connecticut, better than I do, no matter what the age is," Valentine, a Stamford native, told the AP. "It's an absolute impossibility in my mind."

Simmons grew up in Greenwich and moved to Stamford several years ago. She has been the State Representative in Stamford's 144th District since 2014.

Simmons' campaign called the comments "misogynistic" and "offensive", and demeaning "to people who were not born here, people who can't afford to own here, or women pursuing their dreams here."

On Wednesday while appearing on NPR's "Where We Live" show, Valentine addressed the recent spat between the two candidates in what has become a contentious race to become the next mayor of Stamford.

Valentine said he "didn't understand the offense."

"The context was that I think I can govern better because I have led all of my life," Valentine said. "When I said that my competition was a girl, I was referring to her private education in a neighboring city, when she was in elementary school, junior high school, and high school. If I offended anyone by mentioning her hometown or that she was referred to as a girl when she was in high school, I totally apologize for that."

Following Valentine's remarks on NPR, Simmons' campaign released another statement.

"Mr. Valentine’s language is disgraceful and demeaning to women and girls. It reflects an outdated mindset and attitude towards women and the contribution we make every day in our communities, state, and country. Worse still is Mr. Valentine’s inability to apologize or reflect on his own words, a trait that is unbecoming of a candidate and unacceptable in our elected leaders," the campaign said.

Simmons' campaign also released a list of 80 women leaders across Connecticut who are calling on Valentine "to apologize for sexist remarks."

A video, which aims to show Valentine's support for women, was uploaded to Valentine's YouTube page on Thursday afternoon. In an email announcement, Valentine said the clip was recorded six months ago.

In the almost two minute video, Jessica Mannetti, head softball coach at Sacred Heart University, spoke about her experience working for Valentine, who recently served as the Athletic Director at the school.

Mannetti said she was Valentine's first hire in 2013.

"What it's like to work for Bobby is empowering. As a woman who coaches young women, who teaches all about empowering young women, being confident, competitive, independent, he is a huge supporter of women," Mannetti said.

"As a woman today, you can't ask for a better person to work for than Bobby Valentine. He loves that women now have opportunity, that women have drive, women have ambition and passion," she added. "I think he wants to give everyone who's qualified an opportunity, whether it's a man or a woman. But he loves to be able to empower our young women here and make them feel like they can do anything."

The latest tussle between the candidates comes less than a week before the election in Stamford on Nov. 2. The race has gotten heated at times, with the campaigns trading barbs over home ownership versus renting in Stamford, mold in Stamford Public Schools, Valentine's tenure as the city's Public Safety Director in 2011, and property and motor vehicle taxes.

Listen to Valentine's full appearance on NPR