I was born and raised in Stamford and know all of its neighborhoods well. I attended Stamford’s public and parochial schools. I enlisted in the USMC at the age of eighteen. I served in the Middle East during the Iranian Hostage Crisis and was honorably discharged after three years of active duty.
I joined the Stamford Police Department in 1984 and worked the high crime areas of the West Side and Southfield Village. I represented Stamford as an undercover officer in the Statewide Narcotics Task Force. I was promoted to Detective and then to Sergeant. I never chose the easy route and insisted on the more dangerous assignments, wherein I could have the biggest impact on those that I gave an oath to serve. After suffering many line of duty injuries, I retired with a disability pension after 22 years.
I served as the Deputy Superintendent of Juvenile Detention in Bridgeport for over five years with a focus on mentoring troubled youth.
Once I decided to run for elected office, I initiated a dialogue with all of the people that I hoped to serve. I prioritized my platform, based on listening to them. I then met with many local “issue experts” from all parties and gained an in depth knowledge of the issues of concern. I know exactly how City government works and I am poised and ready to create an all-star team, regardless of political party affiliation, that is laser focused on putting Stamford’s citizens’ needs first.

Responsible Development is my top priority. (See my next response)
My second priority is the education of our students. Our current Superintendent of Schools is failing our students, with the cooperation of the majority of our Board of Education. We should fast track our search for her replacement. In short, we have been chasing misleading statistics, specifically graduation rates. Manipulating graduation rates by graduating high school students with a third grade English and Math level does not prepare them for the real world job market. We must insist on students taking mid-term and final exams once again to measure their progress. If they are not prepared to enter the next grade, then we must put more emphasis on tutoring to help them catch up. Pushing students to the next grade prematurely is irresponsible. We must put the students before the misleading statistics.

Responsible Development:
I will focus solely on delivering solutions to the concerns of all Stamford residents. I will not be conflicted by trying to solve the housing problems of those that may want to move here in the future. Stamford offers so much and It would be impossible to satisfy the current demand, nor the increased demand, depending on the results of New York's pending Mayoral election. That should not be our goal or concern. Stamford residents have been very clear that they need truly affordable housing, so that they can afford to stay here. They would prefer home or condominium ownership, wherein they can build equity. I will appoint Planning and Zoning Board members that cater to Stamford's needs and encourage the type of responsible development that benefits Stamford residents.

Stamford certainly is an amazing City, with so much to offer. We have much to be proud of, but we need to slow down the pace of development. We need for our infrastructure to catch up, but we cannot create more water and human waste is closing our beaches after heavy rainfall. Not all growth is positive. Increased traffic, more aggressive drivers and the lack of parking and greenspace is the result. More stress is not healthy for anyone. We have been loosing our quality of life and Stamford is now referred to as the sixth borough of New York City. This may be the goal of developers and the current administration, but it should not be our goal, based on what I have been hearing from current residents. Folks that have never been active in local politics are more active then ever and are very disappointed with the 2035 Comprehensive Plan, as they should be.
I would also like to see a more concerted effort by City officials to restore our boatyards. Housing can be built anywhere, but our limited available waterfront should benefit all of our boating residents. Thank you!