STAMFORD, CT — Nicola Tarzia, a lifelong Stamford resident, entrepreneur, educator, and civic leader who most recently ran for Mayor of Stamford in 2025, has passed away. He was 62 years old, born on March 10, 1963.
The news of his death was announced by the Stamford Republicans, who described it as a profound loss for the city he loved and served for decades.
Known to friends and colleagues simply as “Nic,” Tarzia was the kind of person who walked into a room and made everyone feel welcome. He built his life around two things: hard work and community.
As founder, president, and CEO of the Tarzia Group, he grew a multi-million-dollar construction and real estate development company from the ground up over more than 25 years, earning a reputation for green, energy-efficient building practices and sustainable development.
He held multiple contractor licenses in both Connecticut and New York and was certified in green construction through LEED and NAHB programs.
But for Nic, business was never the whole story. Public service ran just as deep.
He served more than a decade on the Stamford Board of Education, including time as Vice President and Chair of Operations, where he pushed for stronger schools, better support for teachers, and responsible spending.
He was a founding supporter of the Stamford Public Education Foundation, launched the Tarzia Foundation, and gave his time to Dollars for Scholars and the USMC Toys for Tots program. Over thirty years, he showed up — not when it was convenient, but consistently, quietly, and without expectation of credit.
His 2025 mayoral campaign brought that same spirit to the forefront. Running as a Republican in a heavily Democratic city, Tarzia made his case on merit: a business mind with deep community roots, someone who had created jobs, mentored young people, and served on public boards long before he ever asked anyone for a vote.
His platform centered on fiscal responsibility, transparent government, and giving Stamford’s schools the resources they deserved. He wanted to move the city forward, and he said so plainly, without political theater.
Those who knew him remember a man who led with sincerity. He graduated from Stamford High School, built his career here, raised his family here, and never stopped investing in the place that shaped him.
Former Stamford Board of Representatives member Bonnie Kim Campbell, who worked alongside Tarzia in civic circles, remembered him warmly.
The two were both March birthdays, she noted, and shared many candid conversations about campaigning and community. “I will hold close the deep conversations we had,” she wrote upon hearing the news of his passing.
Classmates from Stamford High, colleagues from the construction industry, neighbors, and political allies all shared the same reaction: disbelief, followed by gratitude for having known him.
Nicola Tarzia built things. Buildings, yes, but also relationships, institutions, and opportunities for others. Stamford is less for his absence.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been publicly announced. Condolences may be extended to the Tarzia family and the staff of the Tarzia Group.
