Martin Edward Connor (born March 3, 1945) is a former member of the New York State Senate from
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York. He was first elected to the State Senate in a special election in 1978. He is a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
. The 25th Senate District that he represented covers lower Manhattan and an area of Brooklyn down the
East River
The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Quee ...
Carroll Gardens
Carroll Gardens is a neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Taking up around 40 city blocks, it is bounded by Degraw and Warren Streets (north), Hoyt and Smith Streets (east), Ninth Street or the G ...
, and eastward to part of
Downtown Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City after Midtown Manhattan and Lower Manhattan), and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is known for its office and r ...
. He lost the 2008 Democratic primary to challenger Dan Squadron.
Catholic University Law Review
The ''Catholic University Law Review'' is a student-run quarterly law review published by the Columbus School of Law (The Catholic University of America).
Overview
The journal was established in 1950 and is the Columbus School of Law's oldest l ...
''.
While still a student, Connor worked part-time for the general Counsel of the
National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States with responsibilities for enforcing U.S. labor law in relation to collective bargaining and unfair labor practices. Under the Na ...
. Later, he served as a clerk to the in-house counsel of the
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the un ...
. As a lawyer, Connor practiced corporate and anti-trust law for
White & Case
White & Case LLP is a global law firm based in New York City. Founded in 1901, the firm has 46 offices in 31 countries worldwide and has been ranked among the top ten firms worldwide by revenue.
History
The firm was launched on May 1, 1901 wh ...
, a large Wall Street law firm, as well as the Xerox Corporation. He briefly maintained a private law practice in Brooklyn, but was appointed Assistant Counsel to
New York State Comptroller
The New York State Comptroller is an elected constitutional officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the New York state government's Department of Audit and Control. The New York State Comptroller is the highest-paid state auditor or ...
Arthur Leavitt. He resigned that position upon his election to the Senate.
189th 189th may refer to:
*189th (Canadien-Français) Battalion, CEF, a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War
*189th Airlift Squadron, a unit of the Idaho Air National Guard that flies the C-130 Hercules
*189th Airlift Wing, ...
197th New York State Legislature
The 197th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3, 2007, to December 31, 2008, during Eliot Spitzer's and the early part of David Paterson's governorship, in Albany ...
s. After 30 years in office, Connor was the New York State Senate's longest-serving Democrat. In his time in Albany, he accumulated an extensive legislative track record on a wide range of issues. He sponsored more than 100 laws.
Government Reform
In his time in office, Connor advocated for progressive cause such as reform of the legislative process to open Albany to public scrutin He claimed to have observed a voluntary ban on accepting gifts and meals from lobbyists and to have supported a recent law making such a ban mandatory for all legislator He also supported limiting PAC and corporate campaign contributions to reduce the influence of special interest money in campaigns, as well as spending caps on state level campaigns to provide a level political playing fiel
Education
Connor supported the creation of a state college tuition savings program and tuition tax credi He was also an advocate of changing the state public school aid formul as well as better pay for teacher and smaller class size In 2007, he participated in negotiating an agreement to build the City's first ever green school in Battery Park Cit
Environment
In addition to his contribution to the construction of New York's first green school (cited above), Mr. Connor supported increased use of alternative fuel technology, cleanup of contaminated industrial sites, and funding for open space preservatio According to EPL Environmental Advocates, Mr. Connor had the highest environmental rating in the Senate in 200
Civil and Human Rights
Connor supports the right of women to choice in reproductive matter He s supported non-discrimination on account of sexual orientation as well as equal legal rights for the LGBT communit http://nyblade.com/2008/7-23/news/localnews/1230EndorseNYC.cfm]. He is an opponent of the death penalty but supported proposals to toughen gun law and increase penalties for hate crime
Senate Leadership
Connor served for eight years as minority leader of the Senate until he was defeated for the position in 2002 by Sen.
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to December 2010. ...
In 2006, Senator Connor was opposed in the Democratic primary by Ken Diamondstone, a developer of affordable housin it was the most serious race the 25th District had seen in years. A key issue in the campaign was Diamondstone's opposition to Brooklyn Bridge Park, a project that Senator Connor supporte Senator Connor won the race with more than 55% of the vot
Comptroller Candidacy
In early 2007 he was among at least 18 candidates for
New York State Comptroller
The New York State Comptroller is an elected constitutional officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the New York state government's Department of Audit and Control. The New York State Comptroller is the highest-paid state auditor or ...
, in a special contest decided by the State Legislatur Assemblyman
Thomas DiNapoli
Thomas Peter DiNapoli II (born February 10, 1954) is an American politician serving as the 54th and current New York State Comptroller since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he was previously the New York State Assemblyman for the 16th dis ...
won the race.
2008 Campaign
In 2008, Senator Connor was opposed in the Democratic primary by Dan Squadron, a former aide to
US Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
Chuck Schumer
Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, an ...
Marty Markowitz
Martin Markowitz (born February 14, 1945) is an American politician who served as the borough president of Brooklyn, New York City. He was first elected in 2001 after serving 23 years as a New York State Senator. His third and final term end ...
Scott Stringer
Scott M. Stringer (born April 29, 1960) is an American politician who served as the 44th New York City Comptroller. A Democrat, Stringer also previously served as a New York State Assemblyman, and as the 26th borough president of Manhattan.
I ...
, the
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
Citizens Union
Citizens Union is a New York City-based good government group founded in 1897 to combat the influences of the Tammany Hall political machine. J. Pierpont Morgan, Benjamin Altman, Elihu Root, and Carl Schurz numbered among its 165 founders. In 1987 ...
, occurred on Sept. 3. Following the debate, the Citizens Union announced that it had decided to prefer the incumbent, Connor, over his challenger, stating that Connor "would undeniably be in a stronger and more experienced position to effectively advance critical reforms."
Connor lost the 2008 primary to challenger Dan Squadron, who received approximately 54% of the vote.
Post-senatorial career
A longtime election lawyer by trade, Connor began to practice election law full time after leaving the senate.
He is considered one of the "top" attorneys in this field, and has represented candidates at every level of government, from local, state, and congressional races, to presidential campaigns.
Connor for Senate 2008 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080915054731/http://www.citizensunion.org/www/cu/site/hosting/news_release/09_04_08_release.html Citizens Union Announces Final Candidate PReferences in September Primary Election]
Further reading
*Paterson, David ''"Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity."''Skyhorse Publishing. New York, New York, 2020