Martin, Simmons pitch themselves at mayoral forum

STAMFORD — Mayor David Martin and state Rep. Caroline Simmons pitched themselves and sketched out their priorities during a forum Wednesday evening with less than two weeks until the two Democratic mayoral candidates face off in a primary election.

Both candidates touted their backgrounds during the virtual forum hosted by Temple Sinai.

“I say there's three things that I bring to the table: First, experience with management of large organizations; knowledge about the specifics of how Stamford government and its budget work; and a true commitment to the city … not to my own personal agenda,” Martin said. “So we have accomplished a great deal, but quite frankly there is much more that needs to be done.”

Before he became mayor in 2013, Martin was a member and president of the Board of Representatives and then a member of the Board of Finance.

Simmons said the combination of her experience as a state legislator, her work for a Yale University program focused on family mental health and her past experience working in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security would “be a tremendous asset” to Stamford.

“I’m the only candidate in the race with federal and state government experience, and we know that federal, state and local government coordination is critical to public safety, to public health and to economic prosperity as a city,” she said.

Martin and Simmons each had about 30 minutes to answer questions posed by a moderator, former Board of Representatives President Randy Skigen. The candidates spoke separately instead of having a back-and-forth debate.

During her block of time, Simmons, whose state House district covers portions of the Newfield, Springdale, Glenbrook and Bull’s Head neighborhoods, said her priorities as mayor would include upgrading Stamford’s infrastructure, improving the education system, making the city more affordable, “reducing the property tax burden on our residents and making our government more responsive to constituent concerns.”

Martin said that if he were to win one more term, his administration would “keep working on our financial infrastructure,” including the city’s pension funds, continue to improve roads, update the city government’s IT infrastructure, upgrade heavy equipment like street sweepers and continue to invest money in school facilities.

Simmons won the endorsement of the Stamford Democratic City Committee in July by a vote of 21 to 19. Martin forced a primary election by collecting signatures from registered Democrats.

Martin said that while Simmons received more votes overall at the Democratic convention, more DCC members who have served on elected boards favored him.

“Basically, those that know what it takes to run this city and the complexities of the city and the challenge of that overwhelmingly voted for me, and the people who really don't have that same knowledge voted for Caroline,” Martin said of the party vote.

Josh Fedeli, the chairman of the DCC, disagreed with Martin’s assessment of the vote.

Those who supported Simmons, he said Thursday, were representative of “the working apparatus of the Democratic Party today — women activists, younger people.”

“(They) voted for Caroline because they're looking at the future of leadership in Stamford and not looking back or looking in the past,” Fedeli said.

While Simmons and Martin have been battling for the Democratic Party line, former Major League Baseball manager Bobby Valentine has petitioned his way onto the November ballot as an unaffiliated candidate. Joe Corsello, a former police officer, is set to appear on the ballot as the GOP candidate after receiving the Republican Town Committee’s endorsement.

During Wednesday’s forum, Skigen asked each Democratic candidate what he or she would do in the event of a loss on Sept. 14.

Simmons was endorsed by the Independent Party of Connecticut in addition to the DCC. If she wins the Democratic primary, her name will appear on both party lines in November. If she loses, the Independent line will still be hers unless she drops out.

Simmons expressed confidence about her chances of winning the primary, but she said that if she loses, she will “reassess the situation.”

“The top priority should be making sure the Democrats win in November against Bobby Valentine, and we'll make sure we do everything we can to make sure that happens,” Simmons said.

Martin said he would back the winner of the primary election.

“If I should lose this primary — which I will not, I will win — but should I lose, I will in fact support the Democratic candidate,” Martin said. “I believe that we have a better answer for this city, and I believe that we can move it forward in a more positive way than either [Valentine or Corsello], and I would not jeopardize the city going that way because of my own personal goals or whatever it is.”

“I do not believe that Bobby Valentine knows how to run a city,” Martin added. As for Corsello, Martin said he believes the Republican candidate’s agenda wouldn’t be best for the city.

Valentine laid out his qualifications in a statement Thursday to The Stamford Advocate.

“I’ve built and run multiple successful small businesses, signed payroll checks for thousands of employees, and transformed a struggling Japanese baseball organization into one of the most respected around the world,” Valentine said. “For the last eight years, I’ve led an athletic department with more than 1,000 Division I athletes and 100 coaches and administrators into a nationally recognized program. There’s only one proven team builder and problem solver in this race, and it’s me.”

Corsello told The Advocate that he is focused on education, public safety and infrastructure. Among his goals as mayor would be increasing the number of police officers and firefighters in the city.

The United Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Relations Council co-sponsored Wednesday’s forum.