Stamford GOP Chair Steps Down After Superintendent Contract Vote

STAMFORD, CT — Board of Education member Josh Esses stepped down as chair of the Stamford Republican Town Committee following his vote of support to extend Superintendent of Stamford Public Schools Dr. Tamu Lucero's contract, the Stamford Advocate reported Monday.

The Advocate noted that Esses was given the choice last week by the political party to stay on as chairman of the RTC and leave the school board, or vice versa.

Esses chose to step down as head of the Stamford GOP, and told the Advocate his vote to support the extension of Lucero's contract "revealed tension between wearing one hat as a Republican Party official and another hat as [an] elected official."

Patrick Sasser, the founder of No Tolls CT and the Vice President of the Stamford RTC, will take over as interim chair, the Advocate wrote.

Esses's departure came after the RTC bylaws committee passed a new rule that stipulates an RTC executive team member can't hold elected office simultaneously unless the committee votes in favor of double duty, Sasser told the Advocate.

Sasser and Esses were first elected to their RTC leadership roles in March 2022.

Last month, the Stamford Board of Education voted to extend Lucero's contract by three years.

The board voted 5-4 last summer against an extension for Lucero.

Those who opposed the extension at the time, including Esses, cited concerns with teacher morale and past votes of no confidence against Lucero, as well as a perceived decline in educational standards around the district.

Esses told the Advocate he changed his mind on a contract extension after seeing Lucero make an effort to improve the curriculum.

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