53°
Pia made his plan to run for mayor official Thursday night.
“It’s about everybody here, it’s not about me, and it’s definitely not about putting together a team, it’s about the whole city, and I think I am that guy,” Pia said.
He plans on having an open-door policy, which he does now at the Glenbrook Community Center, because, he said, he loves listening to problems and working to help solve them. Pia said that he found his niche helping others at the community center, and broadened his reach when he was on the Board of Representatives. “You get a chance to do good things, and get a chance to see a kid with a smile on their face and a parent with a smile on their face,” he said, “I go to bed happy.”
Pia’s announcement comes about a week after current Mayor Michael Pavia decided not to run for a second term. Pavia, a Republican, replaced Democrat Dannel Malloy in 2009, when Malloy stepped down from the seat and was elected governor in 2010.
Also running for the city’s top political seat is state Rep. William Tong (D-Stamford and Darien), who announced the start of his campaign Monday.
Democratic Stamford Board of Finance member David Martin may also run for mayor again. Martin earned more support than Tong in a straw poll the city’s Democratic City Committee held in January. Martin ran and lost to Pavia in 2009.
Pia is in his second stint with the Board of Education, originally serving from 1980 to 1998, and since 2010. He has previously served on the Board of Representatives from 2004 to 2011. He is the executive director of the Glenbrook Community Center. He is married, and he and wife Teddi, have two children, Jerry Pia Jr. and Elizabeth Lowe.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Stamford and receive free news updates.
