Edward Giannaros was re-elected to the Farmington, Connecticut City Council on 2sd District, Tuesday November 5th. Edward, a Democrat, served on the city council for two years. However, he is not new to the political scene. Before being elected to the City Council in 2017, he served for twelve years on the Zoning Board of Appeals, including five years as chairman. He is the son of Demetrios Giannaros, a former state representative from Farmington and former majority leader and vice speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives.
Edward is a financial analyst currently working as a financial software developer for The Travelers. He holds an MBA, with an emphasis in finance, from the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford and a BBA in international business from George Washington University.
He used his financial expertise on the City Council to advocate for fiscally responsible budgets that were easily passed by voters in public referendums. Edward was a driving force in adopting a competitive bidding process that will save taxpayer dollars, create a more transparent budget, and move to a health insurance plan that will maintain benefits while saving money.
When asked how he became interested in running for political office, Edward responded, “My interest began by helping my father during his campaigns while I was still in grade school. Both my parents came to this country from Greece. My father, Demetrios, was born in Samos and my mother, Liz, was born in Athens. They are both active in public service and raised my brother Jason and I to understand that we must all participate in our community if we want to preserve the best of it and improve what can be improved. I am happy to give back to the community and country that have given me so much.
In addition to serving in the Connecticut House of Representatives, his father, Demetrios Giannaros, was elected president of the World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association for seven years and vice president for two years. WHIA is a global organization of elected parliamentarians and ministers of Greek heritage. Edward’s mother serves on the Farmington Assessment Appeals Board and is a Justice of the Peace. She also served as Deputy Registrar of Voters and Clerk of the Committee on Children in the Connecticut General Assembly. Demetrios and Liz have a long history of working on political campaigns helping candidates such as Michael Dukakis for governor, Paul Tsongas and Edward Kennedy for U.S. Senate, and Barack Obama for president, as well as many others in Connecticut. His brother, Jason Giannaros, worked for U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal in Washington before going to the University of Southern California to study a doctorate in international relations and security studies.
When asked for his views on public service, Edward responded, “I really enjoy helping people and continuing my family’s long tradition of public service. The ancient Greeks believed that citizens should be involved in the public sphere. I consider myself to be following the democratic tradition of my Greek ancestors.”
