STAMFORD — Democratic Mayor Caroline Simmons easily won reelection to a second four-year term Tuesday, with numerous down-ballot Democrats riding her coattails to victory as well./
Unofficial final tallies showed Simmons with 16,506 votes (65.5%), more than double the 7,874 votes (31.3%) received by Republican challenger Nicola Tarzia.
Three other mayoral candidates running as write-ins, all of whom had been considerably outspoken about wanting their candidacies taken seriously, barely made a ripple in the end. Their totals were Fritz Chery, 556 votes (2.21%); Michael Loughran, 235 votes (0.93%); and David Cherniack, 14 votes (0.06%).
Democrats also captured the entire 40-seat Board of Representatives.
Democratic Town Clerk candidate David Hoak handily won election as well, with 12,939 votes (52.9%). He defeated Republican Gerald Bosak, who trailed with 7,859 votes (32.6%). Incumbent Town Clerk Lyda Ruijter, running for reelection as an Independent, finished far behind them both with 3,514 votes (14.5%).
Board of Education President Michael Hyman appeared to be one of the few electoral casualties among Stamford Democrats endorsed by the party for reelection.
With three school board seats hanging in the balance, unofficial final tallies late Tuesday showed newcomer Democratic candidates Jennifer Werely (17,702 votes) and Adam Vandervoort (13,789 votes) ahead of Hyman, whose total stood at 13,708 votes.
Because of the state’s minority party representation rule, which limits any one party to a maximum of six of the board’s nine voting members, only two of the three Democratic school board candidates can win. Republican Kris O’Brien (9,297 votes) appears set to take the third seat on the Board of Education after finishing ahead of fellow Republican Dennis LoDolce (9,140 votes).
Several of the winning candidates, including Simmons, were endorsed by both their own party and the Independent party. The above totals reflect the combined vote tallies from each line.
A jubilant Simmons, addressing supporters at a victory celebration Tuesday night, called her first term as mayor “the honor of a lifetime” and vowed an ambitious agenda for her second term.
“To the people of Stamford, thank you so much for making your voice heard in this election. No matter who you voted for, I’m going to be a mayor for everyone,” she said.
Standing alongside Simmons as she celebrated her win were other state Democratic officials, including Attorney General William Tong.
Tong suggested the results were both a mandate for Simmons and an indirect message to Washington about voter frustration with Trump administration policies and the ongoing federal government shutdown.
“This was beyond a landslide,” Tong said of Simmons’ victory. “It’s extraordinary how broken Washington is and how cruel and unrelenting this administration is, that this president willfully and intentionally wants to make children and families go hungry and starve his political adversaries into submission so he can force a resolution to this shutdown. The president may have the power, but we have power, too. And we will not be bullied or intimidated.”
State Sen. Pat Billie Miller, D-27th District, a fellow Stamford resident, predicted a strong start to Simmons’ second term with a Democratic Board of Representatives now likely to be firmly aligned with her agenda.
“When Caroline was first elected mayor four years ago, it was a challenge because she didn’t have all the people behind her,” Miller said. “Now we do, and we need all of you, because this is only the beginning.”
Robin Druckman, chair of the Democratic City Committee, called the election results a firm rebuke to Simmons’ critics who claimed she was out of touch with everyday residents or “too nice” for politics.
“I think it’s clear she has a pretty popular agenda,” Druckman said.
Tong added, “She may be super nice, but she’s also super effective.”
Simmons, a former state representative, is all but certain to vault to the top tier of rising-star Democrats statewide following her decisive Election Day victory. However, in response to a question from CT Examiner last month, she said she intends to serve out the full four years of her second term as mayor.
In the meantime, her victory speech signaled a readiness to take on bigger issues and battles as well.
“In these divided times, where they’re trying to divide us and pit communities against one another and use fearmongering to drive us apart, we’re not going to let that happen,” Simmons said. “We’re going to stand with our immigrant communities, fight for families across our city, and fight for a better future for all our children.”