Nicola Tarzia
STAMFORD — Nicola “Nic” Tarzia is no stranger to adversity.
The Stamford native lost three elections — two for the Board of Education and one for state representative — between 2012 and 2016.
But his persistence paid off when he was elected to the Stamford Board of Education three years ago.
Now, as his term comes to an end, the 56yearold Republican is hoping to win another three years on the board, where he has focused much of his efforts on improving facilities across the school system.
Tarzia heads the Board of Education’s Operations Committee and is the owner and CEO of Tarzia Group, a real estate development and general and mechanical contracting company. He said his knowledge of facilities management would benefit the city, if reelected, especially as the school district has embarked on a new model for dealing with school buildings and maintenance.
He was one of many board members upset with ABM Industries, the previous facilities management company. The school board fired ABM earlier this year and instead moved facilities maintenance in house, with five new hires to oversee about five schools each.
Tarzia said he wants to see construction experts in positions of authority, making decisions on how the system spends money on improvements and maintenance. And he’d like to see the city give more money to the school system. Tarzia said the education budget gets cut too often and too much by the city’s Board of Representatives and Board of Finance, which leads to deferred maintenance, he said.
The mold crisis is just one example, Tarzia said.
He also pointed the finger at ABM.
“We could have spent $50,000 to $100,000 in preventative maintenance to alleviate millions of dollars in cost,” he said. “We need a competent facilities structure in place.”
“It’s hard to compete with surrounding districts, with the money they put into schools and their tax base,” he added.
Tarzia may seem like a relative newcomer to the board, but his first stint was actually from 2000 to 2004. He resigned after The Advocate reported he had been arrested in 2002 on cocaine possession charges in Rhode Island. The charges were dismissed, and his record was expunged in 2003. Tarzia continues to deny using drugs and said he was wrongly arrested.
A Stamford High and Wright Tech graduate,
Tarzia was unsuccessful in his bid to defeat Democratic state Rep. William Tong in North Stamford’s 147th District in 2012. He also didn’t garner enough votes to make it onto the school board in 2013 and 2015.
Beyond building issues, Tarzia said the school board should work toward shrinking the divide between highperforming and lowperforming students. He said the achievement gap is the “biggest elephant in the room.”
“We have to start focusing on more family support, more ELL support, more community support to eliminate the disparity in the achievement gap,” he said.
He touted his experience building and managing businesses as a useful tool for the board. Tarzia said roughly 50 to 70 percent of the system’s facilities need updating.
Recently, Tarzia created the Tarzia Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at creating an advertising and marketing campaign for the district, showcasing the dis
Nicola Tarzia
Party: Republican
Age: 56
Incumbent: Yes
Current job: CEO of Tarzia Group
Education: Stamford High School and some college.
The most important issue in this election: Insure that Stamford Public Schools have enough funding for safety, security and a functional environment. Meaning capitol and operating funding for buildings, teachers, educational programs. Meaning, the Planning Board, Board of Finance and Board of Reps have to collaborate how to prioritize educational spending. Make sure the residents get value and better education for their taxes.
Other issues: Addressing the Achievement Gap, Better Policies for Minority recruitment. Enhancing and Funding more programs for ESL, including all Languages Spoken in our Public Schools. Advocate for Public School Funding. Addressing our Mold and Facilities issues. Better Collaboration with All City Boards to Strengthen Educational Value in our City. Family: Single, no children.
Previous elected offices, community group affiliations: Board of Education, Tarzia Foundation, Tarzia’s Toys for Tots, Stamford Dollars for Scholars, Republican Town Committee, Justice of the Peace, BNI. Past community groups - founding member of Stamford Public Education Foundation, Wright Tech Citizens Advisory Committee, Stamford Sewer and Water Commission, Junior Achievement, sponsored various sports Teams at Stamford YMCA and Northeast School. trict’s achievements and positive attributes.
“I want to prioritize more city spending in education to get a value and better quality of life in the city of Stamford,” he said. “I care about the city. I love the city of Stamford.”