Former major league baseball manager Bobby Valentine lost his bid for mayor of Stamford, Connecticut, in a close race.
Valentine ran as an unaffiliated candidate. He conceded to Democrat Caroline Simmons, who led him by hundreds of votes. That’s after he questioned if some people voted twice and blamed unfair press coverage for his loss.
The race wasn’t decided until close to midnight when Valentine conceded. In her victory speech Simmons credited a broad coalition for her win.
“Today voters embraced the belief that we can emerge stronger from this pandemic if we work together, support each other, lift each other up with kindness and love and unite around a common goal of making Stamford a city of opportunity for everyone.”
Simmons, a state representative since 2015, is the first woman to be elected mayor of Stamford.
Valentine ultimately said he was proud of his campaign.
“What we did, in case you missed the memo, is we built an organization from absolutely scratch. And someone’s going to say, oh he stood up there and he bragged. Well, you know what? I’m bragging right now,” Valentine said.
The 71-year-old Stamford native worked for the Texas Rangers baseball team — alongside George W. Bush. He also managed the New York Mets.
Valentine is on a leave of absence from his role as athletic director at Sacred Heart University, the licensee of WSHU Public Radio.
