Voters’ guide to the 148th district special election

Democrat Dan Fox

Petitioning candidate John Mallozzi

Last fall’s election season may now seem like a distant memory, but the final picture of what the General Assembly lo

Greeny Party candidate Rolf Maurer

Republican Charles Pia

Independent Monique Thomas

oks like in the aftermath of the November elections won’t be fully painted until late tonight.

Voters in the Glenbrook and Cove sections of Stamford are headed to the polls today to elect a General Assembly representative in the 148th district — a vacancy created when former Rep. Carlo Leone won a special election in February to replace the outgoing Andrew McDonald in the state senate. McDonald had left the seat to serve as the general counsel in the Malloy administration.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m

You can click here to find your polling station.

Here’s a rundown of the candidates (in alphabetical order), compiled by The Advocate’s Kate King:

DAN FOX (DEMOCRAT)

Fox, who received the Democratic City Committee’s endorsement in early March, said he is eager to give back to the community he grew up in by serving as state representative. He has never held elected office but said he learned about local politics from his father, Wayne Fox, who served as state representative for District 144 for 24 years.

Fox said his primary focus in Hartford would be the state’s $3.3 billion budget deficit.

“Increasing revenue is a last resort, but it should at least be part of the conversation,” he said.

Fox said he opposes a repeal of the death penalty in Connecticut as well as changing state law to make marijuana possession a misdemeanor offense. If elected, he said he would support a widening of the intersection at Courtland Ave. and East Main St., work to minimize disruptions to small businesses during construction of the Stamford Urban Transitway and support the establishment of a bird sanctuary at Cove Island Park.

Fox, 34, is married with two young children and lives on Hamilton Ave. He works as a civil litigation attorney at the Stamford-based firm Curtis, Brinckerhoff and Barrett.

He is not related to state Representative Gerald Fox, who represents District 146.

JOHN MALLOZZI (PETITIONING CANDIDATE)

Mallozzi, a Democrat, joined the April 12 ballot as a petitioning candidate after losing the DCC’s nomination to Fox. He has been involved in Stamford politics for 27 years and has served on all three of the city’s elective boards as well as the 1995 Charter Review Commission. Mallozzi now serves on the Board of Representatives representing District 12.

“I’ve done a lot in Stamford,” he said. “I want to go up to Hartford to continue to do that.”

If elected, Mallozzi said he would advocate for mass transit improvements, support efforts to improve the Glenbrook railroad station and Holly Pond and work to correct the state’s tax structure. He said he would work well with the Malloy administration and his fellow legislators but would not hesitate to stand up for what he believes in.

“I’m not afraid to act up sometimes to save money,” Mallozzi said. “If it’s necessary, I’ll fight for it. I’m not tired, I’m not stale and I’m ready to move forward.”

Mallozzi, 60, is married with one daughter and lives on Hope St. He is a structural engineer and has lived in Stamford since he immigrated to the United States from Italy in 1966.

ROLF MAURER (GREEN PARTY):

Maurer will be making his second bid for District 148 Tuesday. Maurer, the Green Party candidate, ran for the seat in 2010 and also for the District 27 state Senate special election in February and the Stamford mayoral race in 2009.

The Advocate was unable to get in touch with Maurer, whose father recently died, for this story. In the past, however, Maurer has supported the establishment of a state public bank and promoted local agriculture. He has said single-payer health care for Connecticut residents would help develop a robust level of economic and material resilience in the face of financial collapse or a petroleum crisis.

Maurer, 48, is single and lives on Hope St. He has been a resident of Stamford since 1967. He works as a freelance copy editor and writer.

CHARLES PIA (REPUBLICAN)

As someone whose fledgling project management company failed to survive the recession, Pia said he understands the economic challenges District 148 constituents are facing.

“I stand for not raising taxes and not adding new taxes,” he said. “We do need to cut spending, but we have to watch where it’s cut. We can’t cut education spending.”

Pia is the Republican Town Committee’s endorsed candidate for Tuesday’s race. His uncle, Jerry Pia, was recently selected as the committee’s new chairman and serves on the Board of Education and Board of Representatives. Pia’s grandfather served on the Board of Representatives and now sits on the RTC.

Pia said he would oppose legislation that eliminates tax credits for small businesses. He supports widening the intersection at Courtland Ave. and East Main St., building a canopy for the Glenbrook railroad station and dredging Holly Pond.

“These are all things that Sen. Leone has started and I would gladly work hand in hand,” Pia said.

Pia, 27, is not married and lives on Windell Place. He is director of operations for his father’s company, Charles and Charles Remodeling and Renovations. He graduated from Stamford High in 2001 and UConn in 2005.

MONIQUE THOMAS (INDEPENDENT)

Thomas was inspired to run for state representative after losing her job as a bookkeeper for a small Stamford-based construction company about six months ago. Thomas, a co-founder of the Stamford-Greenwich Tea Party movement, said she opposes tax and spending increases.

“We have virtually no population growth, negative job growth and our spending has increased,” she said. “People and jobs are fleeing the state.”

Thomas, who was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Greenwich, said she has lived in the district on-and-off for several years. She said she is interested in streamlining state government, improving health care and allowing parents freedom to decide where their children attend school.

“Government, I guess, is kind of a necessary evil and the less we have of it, the better,” Thomas said. “The more money we have in our pockets the better off we’ll be.”

As an Independent, Thomas said she is willing to work with the Malloy administration and her fellow legislators in Hartford but would not “go up there and kowtow to any political party’s leanings.”

Ben Doody