Bergstein shares same-sex relationship
Senator marks passage of LGBTQ legislation with announcement
GREENWICH — State Sen. Alexandra Bergstein took to social media Saturday afternoon to mark the passage of historical LGBTQ legislation by announcing publicly she is in a relationship with another woman.
“We’re proud to live in a state that values equality and acceptance,” Bergstein said in the post to her Instagram account. “Long after my marriage had ended emotionally and physically, I made the decision to end it legally. Once I was free and empowered, I was able to see other paths to happiness.”
Bergstein said that the post was inspired by the U.S. House of Representatives passing what is known as the Equality Act that would protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in housing, the workplace, public accommodations and other settings. The bill is unlikely to be approved by the U.S. Senate, which Bergstein noted, placing the blame on President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
To accompany the post, Bergstein posted for a picture of herself and her partner whom she identified as Nichola.
Though Bergstein did not post the woman’s last name, she has previously been identified as Nichola Samponaro, who had worked on Bergstein’s campaign last year as co-campaign manager and had been subsequently hired to work as an aide to Bergstgein once she was sworn in as a state senator in January. She no longer works for Bergstein.
In her post, Bergstein acknowledged the history, saying that Samponaro and she had worked together on the campaign and she had stayed on as a personal assistant.
“Like many others, we fell in love through our work and then ended our professional relationship.” Bergstein wrote. “She shares my passion for making positive change and continues to support me as my partner. Anyone who suggests there’s something inappropriate about our relationship is close-minded and wrong. There’s no scandal here.”
Samponaro’s hiring raised eyebrows earier this year since members of the legislature had typically not had staff members beyond a legislative aide provided by the party’s leadership and a shared press secretary. Samponaro was paid directly by Bergstein; her salary did not come from taxpayer money.
Ethics watchdogs questioned the arrangement on the grounds of transparency, saying it raised potential issues regarding public records and the Freedom of Information Act for Bergstein to have a private aide.
Bergstein brought the issue to the Office of State Ethics for clarification and an informal opinion was released saying the senator had not violated ethics rules.
“Legislators, like other state officials and employees are subject to the Code of Ethics,” Nancy Nicolescu, director of communication for the Office of State Ethics, said in February. “Our conflict-of-interest rules are grounded on a single rationale: that public service is a public trust and must not be used for personal financial benefit, or for the financial benefit of certain family members or any ‘associated’ business. Absent such financial benefit, the Code generally does not apply.”
Ultimately Samponaro left the position.
The 36th District covers all of Greenwich as well as portions of Stamford and New Canaan. Last fall Bergstein became the first Democrat to be elected to the seat since 1930 when she defeated five-term incumbent Republican L. Scott Frantz.