Valentine has right life resume

I never went to school with him, or played sports with him or attended one of his sports camps, but when I learned Bobby Valentine was running for mayor of Stamford, I thought he has the most impressive set of life experiences to make him very successful in the office.

He played on and managed teams that were very diverse, interacted with the media on a daily basis and brought his team to the World Series.

He went to Japan, embraced that culture and endeared himself to the people by learning their language, took a team that wasn’t familiar with him and won the championship there. Could you ask for a more striking example of embracing multiculturalism and understanding how to work and live with all the different cultures that make up Stamford?

He was the athletic director of a university, a position which involves speaking to donors and boosters and encouraging them to support the school, a skill he can use to attract businesses to Stamford. He was also responsible for the coaches, assistant coaches, student athletes, medical team and sports facilities on campus, which prepares him, more than anyone in recent memory, to assume the role of Stamford’s mayor and all it requires.

Most importantly, he has several businesses in Stamford, has employed many local people and knows what it is to have to sign the front of a paycheck, not just the back of it, and pay employees every Friday. He understands the challenges the small businesses in Stamford face, especially in the age of COVID.

For those who say he is not prepared to be mayor of Stamford, you are sorely mistaken. His impressive life resume will be put to good use for the city, and for this reason I support Bobby Valentine for mayor.

Dr. Alfred Fusco

Stamford