Stamford Election Results: Simmons Wins, Valentine Concedes

STAMFORD, CT — Just after midnight, State Rep. Caroline Simmons (D-144) claimed victory in the Stamford mayoral race over Unaffiliated candidate Bobby Valentine.

The race came down to the wire, as both campaigns waited for thousands of absentee ballots to be counted. According to Arthur Augustyn, a spokesperson for the Simmons campaign, Simmons won the in-person vote by just 125.

According to unofficial results from the CT Secretary of State, Simmons received 15,565 votes (52.5 percent), and Valentine tallied 14,060 votes (47.46 percent).

Simmons addressed supporters at Third Place By Half Full Brewery in Stamford, and said she was "honored and humbled" that voters chose her to be the next mayor of Stamford.

"Today, thousands of voters participated in the Democratic process and exercised their sacred right to vote, to make their voices heard, in this historic election," Simmons said. "To every Stamford resident who came to the polls, thank you for voting today and for advocating for a brighter future for our wonderful city."

Simmons, 35, has been the State Representative in the 144th District in Stamford for the past seven years. She will now become the first female mayor in Stamford's history.

Before Simmons spoke, Valentine, a Stamford native and former Major League Baseball manager, conceded the race in a short speech to supporters at The Village in the city's South End.

"It's time for me to congratulate Caroline Simmons on being the next mayor of our city," he said. "The campaign is over; there's a new mayor of Stamford. Hopefully the people that ran that campaign are not going to be the people that run our city."

This marks the end of an at times contentious race between the two campaigns that featured several spats over the last few weeks.

For more on Simmons' victory over Valentine, click here.

In other races:

City & Town Clerk: Democrat Lyda Ruijter convincingly won re-eleciton over petitioned candidate Marilyn M. Abbazia-Lodato.

Board of Finance, for a full term:

Incumbent Board Chair and Democrat Richard Freedman was elected to the Board of Finance over fellow Democrats Robert Barocas and Leo Zygelman. David Mannis, a Democrat, ran unopposed to fill a vacancy for two years.

Republican candidates Dennis Mahoney and J.R. McMullen were guaranteed seats.

Benjamin Lee grabbed the Democratic seat on the Board of Education ahead of Michael A. Hyman and Versha Munshi-South.

Incumbent Rebecca Hamman won re-election on the Republican side, along with Joshua Esses.

Constable: Democrats Jon Gallup, Gloria DePina, Rodney Pratt and Philip J. Giordano were elected with Republicans Eva Maldonado, Ralph Loglisci, and Joseph Tarzia

Republican Alan Shaw missed out in being in the top seven. Cora Santaguida ran as a member of the Green Party.

There were a number of candidates running for the Board of Representatives in each district. Residents could vote for up to two.

For full Board of Representatives results, click here.