Nicola Tarzia
Nicola Tarzia (Republican Party) was a member of the Stamford Public Schools school board in Connecticut. He assumed office in 2016. He left office in 2019.
Tarzia (Republican Party) ran for election to the Connecticut State Senate to represent District 27. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Elections
2024
See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Connecticut State Senate District 27
Incumbent Patricia Miller defeated Nicola Tarzia in the general election for Connecticut State Senate District 27 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Patricia Miller (D) | 62.3 | 23,980 |
| Nicola Tarzia (R) | 37.7 | 14,506 | ||
| Total votes: 38,486 | |||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Patricia Miller advanced from the Democratic primary for Connecticut State Senate District 27.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Nicola Tarzia advanced from the Republican primary for Connecticut State Senate District 27.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Tarzia in this election.
2016
- See also: Stamford Public Schools elections (2016)
Four of the nine seats on the Stamford Public Schools school board were up for general election on November 8, 2016. Three of the seats came with three-year terms, while one seat came with a one-year term. Incumbent Jennienne Burke, along with Antoine Savage (D) and Nicola Tarzia (R), won the three seats with the three-year terms. Eumir Antonio Abela (G) finished fourth in the race for three seats. Incumbent Geoff Alswanger (D) ran unopposed and won the seat with a one-year term. Incumbent Angelica Gorrio (D) originally filed to run for re-election to her seat but withdrew from the race before the election.[1]
Results
| Stamford Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2016 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Jennienne Burke Incumbent |
34.20% | 30,275 | |
| Democratic | Antoine Savage |
33.80% | 29,924 | |
| Republican | Nicola Tarzia |
25.46% | 22,542 | |
| Green | Eumir Antonio Abela | 6.55% | 5,795 | |
| Total Votes | 88,536 | |||
| Source: Connecticut Secretary of State, "Election Center," accessed November 30, 2016 | ||||
2015
- See also: Stamford Public Schools elections (2015)
Five seats on the Stamford Public Schools Board of Education were up for election on November 3, 2015. The following three at-large incumbents' seats were up for regular general election in 2015: Lorraine Olson (R), Jerry Pia (R) and Polly Rauh (D). Additionally, two unexpired terms were also up for special election following resignations from the board. Rauh was the only incumbent to seek re-election; her defeat saw all five seats go to newcomers. The election did not change the board's Democratic majority; post-election, the board had six Democrats and three Republicans. This is the highest single-party majority allowed by law.
Republicans Mike Altamura and Andy George won two of the three full-term seats up for election while fellow party member Gerald Bosak won one of the unexpired terms. The Stamford Republican Town Committee initially endorsed Gerald Bosak and Prasad Tungaturthy for the one-year terms and Mike Altamura, Andy George and former board member Nicola Tarzia for the three-year terms. Tungaturthy, however, withdrew from the race on August 31, 2015. John Ciuffo was selected as the new Republican in Tugnaturthy's place.[2] Republicans Altamura, George and Tarzia ran as a slate called 2015BOE Team.
Democrats David Mannis and Jennienne Burke won a three-year and one-year term, respectively. The Stamford Democratic City Committee did not endorse any of its incumbents for re-election.[3] Instead, the party endorsed Angelica Gorrio, David Mannis and Ligia Marroquin for the three-year terms and Jennienne Burke and Monica DiCostanzo for the one-year terms.[4] Democrats Gorrio, Mannis and Marroquin also formed a slate for the election.
Incumbent Rauh still sought to retain her seat on the board despite lacking her party's nomination. The Democratic board member chose to run as an unaffiliated candidate instead of forcing a primary election within her party. Rauh's party registration as a Democrat, however, meant the state law requiring a minimum of one-third of the board's seats to be held by minority parties following each election still applied to her in this election.[5] John Zito also ran as an independent petitioning candidate in the regular-term race. Rauh placed seventh and Zito eighth out of the nine candidates running in the election for three-year terms.
Rolf Maurer was the sole Green Party candidate for the election. He sought a three-year term, but he placed last in the nine-candidate race.[6]
Results
| Stamford Public Schools, At-Large (3-year terms), General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mike Altamura |
17.4% | 5,445 | |
| Republican | Andy George |
15.9% | 4,997 | |
| Democratic | David Mannis |
14.9% | 4,656 | |
| Democratic | Angelica Gorrio | 14.1% | 4,431 | |
| Republican | Nicola Tarzia | 14.1% | 4,428 | |
| Democratic | Ligia Marroquin | 14.1% | 4,405 | |
| Petitioning | Polly Rauh Incumbent | 5.2% | 1,624 | |
| Petitioning | John Zito | 2.8% | 882 | |
| Green | Rolf Maurer | 1.5% | 472 | |
| Total Votes | 31,340 | |||
| Source: Connecticut Secretary of State, "Prescribed Form for Return of Votes Cast At A Municipal Election," accessed November 5, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
Tarzia received no official endorsements in this election.
2013
- See also: Stamford Public Schools elections (2013)
Tarzia lost election to the board against five other candidates for three available seats on November 5, 2013.
| Stamford Public Schools, General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Geoff Alswanger Incumbent |
22.5% | 11,311 | |
| Democratic | Richard Lyons II Incumbent |
20.9% | 10,500 | |
| Republican | John Leydon Jr. Incumbent |
19.7% | 9,906 | |
| Democratic | Dolores Burgess | 18.4% | 9,238 | |
| Democratic | Nicola Tarzia | 16.5% | 8,314 | |
| Green | Richard Duffee | 2% | 994 | |
| Total Votes | 50,263 | |||
| Source: Connecticut Secretary of State, "Municipal Elections - November 5, 2013," accessed December 17, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Nicola Tarzia did not reported any contributions or expenditures to the Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission.
2012
Tarzia ran in the 2012 election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 147. She faced William Tong (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[7] Tarzia was defeated in the general election.[8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William Tong Incumbent |
56.9% | 6,214 | |
| Republican | Nicola Tarzia | 43.1% | 4,708 | |
| Total Votes | 10,922 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Nicola Tarzia did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2015
Tarzia provided the following answers to questions from the Stamford Advocate:
Why are running for the Board of Education? What qualifies you for the job?
| “ | I was born and raised in Stamford and went through the Stamford Public School System. Additionally, I attended and graduated from the State of Connecticut’s Wright Tech Vocational Night School. I am truly a product of the City of Stamford. I care very much about the City of Stamford, which includes the community, public education and the schools. I am qualified, because I have the experience. From 2000-2004, I was elected twice as a member of the Board of Education and held the position of Vice President. Currently, I am a successful business man with an enormous amount of experience in real estate, construction, and facilities management. In my business I have to work with others on specific projects, within a set timeframe and budget. I feel I possess excellent communication skills that allow for teamwork and successful end results to reach a common Goal.[9] | ” |
| —Nicola Tarzia, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)[10] | ||
What are the district’s strengths and weaknesses?
| “ | We have a strong, resilient and dedicated Board of Education, Staff and Community. Working together, we can overcome any obstacle and pursue a common goal to enhance the Stamford Public Education System. I believe we need better communication across the Board and to all other Boards which includes more transparency on all issues and budgets. The BOE needs to work as a unified group with improved teamwork to expedite decision making.[9] | ” |
| —Nicola Tarzia, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)[11] | ||
How well has Superintendent Winifred Hamilton performed? Do you agree with her decision to retire?
| “ | I have known Winifred Hamilton for over 15 years; since she was the principal of Dolan. We were instrumental in banning junk food from our schools, which I commend and initiated. As far as her performance to date, I cannot judge accurately, but I believe that recently she was caught in a controversial situation and it should have been handled much better. I agree with her decision to retire, even though the timing might not be the best. The Stamford school system needs to move on from all the negativity of the past few months and years, and move forward to working on creating and implementing positive goals. Start our search for a new superintendent and move ahead.[9] | ” |
| —Nicola Tarzia, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)[12] | ||
Should the search for a new superintendent be delayed until after the election?
| “ | Most definitely delay. The superintendent of schools is one of the most important positions in our city and filling the role should not be done hastily. Of course, after the election we will have a new and dynamic BOE who can take the proper time and effort in the search for a new superintendent. Besides, I have and I’m sure others have also been speaking about using an interim superintendent - a person who is familiar with our school system’s size and needs, and that will work together with the new board and start the process of guiding our district forward.[9] | ” |
| —Nicola Tarzia, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)[13] | ||
How do you think the current board handled the Stamford High School sex scandal? What might you have done differently?
| “ | From what was printed in all the newspapers, I believe it was majorly mishandled and a total distraction to the district. If I was on the Board of Education, I would have handled it much more professionally, and made clear and concise decisions for accountability in order to come to a rapid conclusion and move forward as fast as possible. Set proper procedures so that this would not ever occur in the future.[9] | ” |
| —Nicola Tarzia, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)[14] | ||
The condition of the district’s facilities has been called into question lately. Should the Board of Education bring its facilities management in-house or should it continue to contract with an outside firm? Why?
| “ | I have known Alfonso (Barbarotta) and AFB for over 15 years. While the relationship started off great, there is now a major disconnect between AFB, custodians, tradesmen, engineering department and the Board of Education. One group states that everything is OK but those in the schools states that the conditions are poor. This is clearly a breakdown of communication, accountability and a major disconnect. The current process isn’t working and needs to be reviewed, scrutinized and improved. This is vital for overall performance.
Someone needs to be the front runner and or point person, and have a strong sense of accountability and communication. Whether it’s the BOE, engineering, custodians or a management company, there needs to be a major overhaul for improvement so that we can move through our projects quickly and efficiently.[9] |
” |
| —Nicola Tarzia, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)[15] | ||
Define what you think the school board’s role should be in the district. Does the superintendent currently have too much power?
| “ | The Board of Education’s main function is to set policies and to have a clear set of goals for the superintendent to implement. Additionally, self assessment, seeking educational growth, the hiring and evaluating of the superintendent, ratifying collective bargaining agreements, adopting a responsible educational budget, overseeing and approving construction projects and facilities management, adopting new educational programs, evaluating existing ones, and developing and maintaining strong relationships with the staff, community and parents. As far as the superintendent currently having too much power, it’s hard to say who is running the show right now. But the BOE should be managing the superintendent, not the other way around.[9] | ” |
| —Nicola Tarzia, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)[16] | ||
How specific should the Board of Education’s goals be for the superintendent?
| “ | The board needs to be very specific and set crystal clear educational goals for the community and the superintendent. They then need to be very specific, precise and consistent in supporting the superintendent for implementing these goals.[9] | ” |
| —Nicola Tarzia, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)[17] | ||
Would you make expanding preschool programs a priority?
| “ | Yes, I would. As we know, a child’s mind can learn the most from its earliest years, from birth to 4 years old. Preschoolers out perform children who have not had the opportunity for these programs. I would try to enhance our preschool programs through our own educational system, community and church programs and, most important, is to keep up new funding through public and private partnerships.[9] | ” |
| —Nicola Tarzia, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)[18] | ||
How should the district better support the mental health of its students, given its limited resources?
| “ | We need to reach out better and with stronger efforts. Encourage our students that if there is an issue, to come forward and we will support them. Trust has to be acknowledged. Instead of spending money on audits, we should look into hiring more social workers and creating a better support system. Open communication and recognition of potential problems. Also, work closely with STRIVE, School Advisories Model, Alliance School District Funding, Crisis Prevention and Intervention, School Based Health Centers, Kids in Crisis, Domus and Focus on Youth.[9] | ” |
| —Nicola Tarzia, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)[19] | ||
2013
During an October 3, 2013 candidate forum, Tarzia advocated for the use of school uniforms throughout the district. He said he believed school uniforms could reduce bullying, create a better atmosphere for learning and create revenue sources if schools sell uniforms to district families.[20]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Phone conversation with Stamford Town Clerk Donna Loglisci," September 6, 2016
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Stamford GOP school board candidate withdraws," September 2, 2015
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Stamford Democrats dump school board incumbents," July 23, 2015
- ↑ Stamford Democratic City Committee, "Our 2015 Democratic Candidates," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Rauh to run for Stamford school board," August 5, 2015
- ↑ Connecticut Green Party, "2015 candidates," accessed September 10, 2015
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Candidate list" accessed October 30, 2012
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Election Results 2012," accessed November 21, 2012
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Stamford Board of Education candidates answer why they’re running," October 8, 2015
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Stamford Board of Education candidates talk about district’s strengths, weaknesses," October 8, 2015
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Stamford Board of Education candidates: How well has Hamilton performed?" October 8, 2015
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Stamford Board of Education candidates discuss search for new superintendent," October 8, 2015
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Stamford Board of Education candidates talk about Stamford High sex scandal," October 10, 2015
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Stamford Board of Education candidates talk about the district’s facilities management," October 10, 2015
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Stamford Board of Education candidates talk about board’s role," October 17, 2015
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Stamford Board of Education candidates discuss goals for superintendent," October 17, 2015
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Stamford Board of Education candidates discuss expanding preschool," October 24, 2015
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Stamford Board of Education candidates discuss mental health services for students," October 24, 2015
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Stamford ed board candidates talk bullying, portables and how to dress," October 3, 2013
