© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WECS · WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM · WVOF
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WNPR News sports coverage brings you a mix of local and statewide news from our reporters as well as national and global news from around the world from NPR.

Bobby Valentine Takes Swing At Stamford Mayoral Race

City of Stamford

A former major league baseball player and longtime Mets manager is taking a swing at running for mayor of Stamford. Bobby Valentine announced he will challenge incumbent Democratic Mayor David Martin and Democratic state Rep. Caroline Simmons as an independent.

The Stamford native said he has seen what challenges the city faces in the wake of the pandemic.

“By November, everyone will still be in the process of getting back on their feet, and I want to be the guy that leads it back to normalcy,” said Valentine.

Valentine was a standout on the Rippowam High School baseball field in the 1960s before taking his talents to the major leagues as a player. From 1996 to 2002 he managed the Mets. In 2011, he spent 11 months in Government Center as Stamford’s emergency management director. He left that position to become manager of the Boston Red Sox for a season.

“Fast-forward 10 years from that experience, I am now at a point in my life where I can give my experience, my time, my wherewithal to the city that’s been so good to me,” said Valentine, who owns a downtown sports bar and a baseball academy in the city’s Springdale area.

Most recently, Valentine worked as Sacred Heart University’s athletic director. He said it’s time to step away from that role to help highlight his hometown’s diversity. He believes that will help its economy recover from the past year.

“I don’t think our city has done a good enough job [at] making it part of our special identity, and that will attract the businesses that need to come to replace the ones that left during the pandemic and before,” said Valentine.

Tags

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content