Simmons, Valentine Debate In Stamford 2 Weeks From Election Night

STAMFORD, CT — Current State Rep. Caroline Simmons and Bobby Valentine squared-off in a mayoral debate hosted by the Prometheum Foundation on Tuesday night just two weeks away from the election on Nov. 2.

The foundation is a non-political, non-profit, 501(c)3 charitable organization that "encourages critical and analytical thinking, freedom of thought, and entrance into the marketplace of ideas."

The 90 minute debate was held at the main branch of the Ferguson Library. There was an in-person audience, and the event was streamed live across several platforms.

Each candidate had 90 seconds to answer each question from different panelists. Rebuttals were allowed at the discretion of the panel with 45 second responses.

Simmons, the Democratic candidate, said her experience as a federal employee and state legislator are reasons why voters should offer their support at the polls. She has represented the 144th District in Stamford since 2014, and previously worked in the Department of Homeland Security.

"I see so much possibility and potential that lies ahead for our city. My goal is to build a flourishing city that is bursting with opportunity for all of our residents and to build a more inclusive, equitable and affordable city where everyone can thrive," Simmons said,

If elected, her top two priorities would be to improve city infrastructure and school buildings.

"Sixty percent of our roads and bridges and sidewalks are structurally deficient. This is unacceptable. We have an aging train station, and aging school facilities that don't do justice to the wonderful people who make up our city. We have to deliver a better 21st century infrastructure that our residents deserve," Simmons said. She added that she'd leverage her connections in Hartford in order to make sure Stamford gets a share of funds from a possible federal infrastructure bill.

Valentine, who is running as an unaffiliated candidate, championed himself as a native son of Stamford and a small business owner who could make a difference in office for residents across party lines.

Valentine was born and raised in Stamford, and went on to become a Major League Baseball player and manager. More recently, he served as the Athletic Director at Sacred Heart University

"I always felt I had a responsibility to make the people of Stamford proud, to make my mom and dad proud when they were here, to make my family proud, and to make all the people who have give so much to me in my life from this community [proud]; that it was my total obligation to make them proud every step of the way," Valentine said.

"These next steps are going to be big steps, and I'm going to guarantee you that when I'm elected mayor, I'm going to make the people of this city proud not only of me, but proud of Stamford, Connecticut because I am not for a party. I am only for the people."

Valentine's top priorities if elected would be to repair aging school buildings and finally fix the West Main Street Bridge that has been in disrepair.

"I don't care where the money is going to come from, we're going to get [the schools] repaired, rebuilt and safe so that the environment is one that everyone can be proud of. I want to be the champion for the schools and I want to change that perception of our schools, because we have great teachers and we have great students," Valentine added.

Stamford Transportation Center

Specifically on the Transportation Center, Simmons said it must be updated, and that the area needs to be modernized and more pedestrian friendly. Signage and technology at the center should be updated, too, to help people find their train, she said.

The state controls the site, and past administrations have had difficulties in getting a stake in the planning for the future of the center.

"This is going to take federal, state and local collaboration. I'll be ready on day one to bring a team together.

Valentine wants to see the time of travel and frequency of trains addressed. He also wants the transportation center to be a destination spot for residents and travelers, with the addition of a supermarket or retail space.

"We need to do a reevaluation of what a transportation center should look like in 2021," he said.

See also: Essay Contest Aims To Engage Students In Stamford Mayoral Race

COVID-19 Pandemic

On the issue of COVID-19 and how they would handle the ongoing pandemic, Valentine pointed to his time as AD at Sacred Heart.

"I relied on my medical staff, I relied on the conference, I relied on the NCAA, and I relied on our nation to give us the best information possible," he said. "My number one concern with that AD would be the same as my number one concern for the city of Stamford, and that is their public safety, that they are healthy."

Simmons said she'd listen directly to the data and science from the CDC, and state and local health departments to keep the public safe. She said masking is effective, and her top priority would be to keep schools and the economy open.

Simmons brought up the fact that in 2011 when Hurricane Irene hit the region, Valentine, who was working as the public safety director for Stamford at the time, was out of town broadcasting on Sunday Night Baseball with ESPN.

"In the last emergency, when Hurricane Irene struck our city, he was public safety director, and he left the city of stamford and abandoned the city of Stamford," Simmons said.

Valentine said he prepared for the storm before he left, and was in contact with other city officials while he was away.

"As a leader, I prepared for my absence like all leaders do with all of the heads of departments in the city so they knew exactly what we needed to do," he said.

The exchange was a continuation of an ongoing spat between the two campaigns on Valentine's tenure as public safety director in 2011.

Affordable Housing In Stamford

When asked if there's enough affordable housing in Stamford and what could be done to address the issue, Valentine said the term "affordable housing" has become a misnomer.

"If you have 100 units, you have to have 10 affordable units. Those affordable units happen to be half of Area Median Income in our community, and that gets out to be about $72,000 and that's not affordable," he said.

Valentine noted that he'd like to see the Stamford Housing Authority use funds and leverage them with other nonprofits in the area "to build things that are actually housing that's affordable for all layers of our economic stream so that the citizens of our city can have places where they can live and work in our city at the same time."

Simmons said there's an "affordability crisis" in the city. She said she fought for mortgage and rental relief for residents as state representative, and would try for more affordable housing on the rental side and increase opportunities for home ownership.

She brought up a recent article by a Hearst CT Media columnist that featured a short, 28 second video of Valentine speaking about housing at a local event with voters.

In the leaked video, Valentine said:

"Because if you’re not owning, you’re not caring. I don’t mind having people in our city who are just renters, but I know that of those 10,000 new people who came here over the last six years, came to Stamford, and they’re renting in our community, I know that they’re not leaving the community better than when they got here."

Simmons said the comments were offensive and alienated a large number of voters.

Valentine said his comments were taken out of context.

"I was trying to make the point that we need more housing that's not only affordable, but that's livable; that we also need to tell our contractors to find a way to incentivize them to build things that you can own. I understand renting. I've been a renter, I've also been a landlord. It's a way of life in this city, it always will be, and I respect that,” he said.

Systemic Racism In Stamford Public Schools

The candidates were asked about systemic racism, and whether or not it exists in Stamford Public Schools.

Simmons said it does, and cited the fact that Black students are suspended at three times the rate of white students, and that achievement levels are lower for African American students.

She advocated for more access to pre-K across the city, and for the recruitment of a more diverse workforce.

Valentine said he would "have to do more research" on the issue in order to have a more informed answer.

"If there is [systemic racism], there's no place for it in Stamford or any other school around the country, or for that matter, around the world," Valentine said. "Our students need to be treated equitably and treated fairly when they get there, until the time they leave there."

The candidates touched on a variety of other topics, including the Stamford mall, supporting the arts, and the economy.

To view the entire debate, click here.