A Historic Day: Caroline Simmons Sworn-In As Mayor Of Stamford

STAMFORD, CT — Caroline Simmons made history on Wednesday, becoming the first female mayor in the history of Stamford.

Simmons was publicly sworn into office by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong in front of a large crowd inside the lobby of the Stamford Government Center. Because of social distancing protocols, overflow viewing was available on monitors outside and in a fourth floor conference room.

Simmons took the oath of office from Tong just after midnight Wednesday in a private ceremony at the government center.

In her speech, Simmons spoke about her vision for the future of Stamford, and laid out her priorities for her first few weeks in office.

She also stressed the importance of local government and how it can bring a community together.

"As I move into the tenth floor of this building today, I am humbled and filled with gratitude by this moment, knowing that every day for the next four years I get to wake up and work tirelessly to serve the people of Stamford, and to make our government work better for the great people of this city," Simmons said.

She thanked former Mayor David Martin for his over 30 years of service to the city, and for working with her team to ensure a smooth transition of power. Martin presented Simmons with a large gavel, and congratulated her.

"Unlike some corners of the world, or even some corners of this country, we believe in democracy," Martin said.

Simmons promised to be a mayor for all residents. She defeated unaffiliated candidate Bobby Valentine in November in a close race that was ultimately decided by absentee ballots.

"To every resident of Stamford, whether you voted for me or not, I hope to earn your trust and know that I will be a mayor for everyone in this city. Because this job is not about me or about one party, this is about the future of the city we all love," Simmons said. "Today is also a special day for Stamford women. To all of the women and girls in our city, today is for you."

Simmons laid out her priorities for the first few weeks of her administration.

"In the coming weeks, I will be rolling up my sleeves and rolling out policies to advance the priorities highlighted during our campaign, investing in infrastructure and education, advancing economic prosperity, improving government responsiveness, and making our city a more affordable and equitable place for everyone," Simmons said. "I look forward to working closely with our cabinet and city employees to advance these priorities and our budget and legislative agenda will reflect these goals."

On Thursday, Simmons said she will tour Stamford's roads with the engineering department to assess roads, bridges, and sidewalks.

Simmons, a former State Representative for the 144th District, said during the campaign she will leverage her relationships in Hartford to make sure Stamford gets its fair share of funds from the federal infrastructure package.

Simmons will then tour Westhill High School with Superintendent of Stamford Public Schools Dr. Tamu Lucero, as she looks for ways to improve city school buildings.

On Friday, Simmons will hold her first virtual Town Hall event with residents to hear their concerns, and on Saturday, she'll be visiting small businesses.

On COVID-19, Simmons asked for a moment of silence to remember all of those who have lost their lives to the virus. She thanked first responders, essential workers and volunteers who have worked throughout the pandemic to keep people safe.

"I’m continuously inspired by how our city responded to this crisis and I am confident that we can emerge even stronger from this pandemic if we work together, support each other, lift each other up, and unite around a common goal of making Stamford a city of opportunity for everyone — a flourishing place where we all can live, work, raise a family, and retire," Simmons said.

Gov. Ned Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz also spoke briefly during the swearing-in ceremony.

"I want to say to each and every one of you who do the work here in Stamford, you're incredibly fortunate to be working with a great mayor like Caroline. I've had the good fortune of working with her. I think you're going to be inspired everyday," Lamont said. "Caroline is the perfect fit for the state of Connecticut, and the perfect fit for Stamford."

Bysiewicz spoke about Simmons' experience at various levels of government, and said she's "the right person at the right time" to lead Stamford, which recently became the second largest city in Connecticut.

"It's a great day not just for Stamford, but it is a proud day for the state of Connecticut. Because today, we have a competent woman who will be leading the [second] largest city in the beautiful state of Connecticut," Bysiewicz said. "She is the right person for this important role, and she knows how important it is to bring diverse people to the table. When you do that, you will have the best decisions made. We know Stamford is in very good hands."

A big theme of Simmons' campaign was “bringing people together.” On Wednesday, she pledged to do that in her first term.

"We have the opportunity to use this turning point in our city’s history to make a difference and create a lasting impression of Stamford as a welcoming, inclusive, and thriving city that we can all be proud to call home. Let’s seize this moment and look back on this day four years from now and say that we came together at this moment to make this city a better place for future generations," she said.

"Now the real work begins."