Stamford Voters to Choose Between CT Lawmaker and Ex-MLB Pro for Mayor

What to Know

• Voters in Stamford, Connecticut’s fastest-growing city, are choosing Tuesday between a sitting state legislator and a former Major League Baseball manager for mayor of a community that has seen a major influx of newcomers during the pandemic.
• The contest pits Democratic state Rep. Caroline Simmons, who defeated the city’s incumbent mayor in a Democratic primary, against hometown celebrity Bobby Valentine, a former Republican who is running as an unaffiliated candidate.
• Besides elections for mayor in New Haven, New Britain, West Haven and elsewhere, there are also battles for school boards in Connecticut that have featured debates over COVID-19 protocols and how issues of race should be taught in public schools.

Voters in Stamford, Connecticut’s fastest-growing city, are choosing Tuesday between a sitting state legislator and a former Major League Baseball manager for mayor of a community that has seen a major influx of newcomers during the pandemic.

The contest pits Democratic state Rep. Caroline Simmons, who defeated the city’s incumbent mayor in a Democratic primary, against hometown celebrity Bobby Valentine, a former Republican who is running as an unaffiliated candidate.

Besides elections for mayor in New Haven, New Britain, West Haven and elsewhere, there are also battles for school boards in Connecticut that have featured debates over COVID-19 protocols and how issues of race should be taught in public schools.

DECISION 2021

Decision 2021 Oct 29

Everything You Need to Know for Tuesday's Elections in NY, NJ, CT

Decision 2021 2 hours ago

Tri-State Voters Head to Polls to Elect Next NJ Governor and NYC Mayor

In his baseball career Valentine, 71, managed the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and the Japanese Pacific League’s Chiba Lotte Marines. He also owned a chain of restaurants and served as the city’s public safety director and as a college athletic director. Simmons, 35, co-chairs the General Assembly’s Commerce Committee and works at Yale University on maternal mental health policy. She previously worked at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on domestic and international terrorism issues.

The Republican candidate dropped out of the competitive race and is backing Valentine.

Polls will be open across Connecticut on Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.. All absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day. As in last year’s presidential election, voters were able to use the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse this year to vote absentee and drop off their ballots in boxes in locations across the city.