My name is Stan Esposito. I’m 72 years old and a Stamford native. I was honored to serve as mayor of Stamford from 1991-1995. I’m proud of my Italian heritage. I am also proud to have served as a past Grand Marshal of Stamford’s Columbus Day Parade. My mother’s grandparents, the Carpinella Family, settled in Stamford in the late 1800s. Six generations of my family call Stamford home.

In 1992 we celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the new world by Christopher Columbus. He may not have been the first to sail into this part of the Western Hemisphere but he was the first Italian explorer to do so and then return to Europe with news of his discovery. He is the reason most of us live in this country today.