Martin Edward Connor (born March 3, 1945) is a former member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

from Brooklyn,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He was first elected to the State Senate in a special election in 1978. He is a Democrat. The 25th Senate District that he represented covers

lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

and an area of Brooklyn down the East River from part of Greenpoint to Carroll Gardens, and eastward to part of Downtown Brooklyn. He lost the 2008 Democratic primary to challenger

Dan Squadron Daniel L. Squadron (born November 9, 1979) is an American politician and former member of the New York State Senate for the 26th district. A Democrat, Squadron was elected a New York State Senator in 2008, and was a candidate in the 2013 ra ...

Education and early career

Born in Trenton, New Jersey, Connor attended parochial schools as a child, graduating first in his class from Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville. He earned a B.A. in politics from the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

and a law degree from the

Catholic University of America School of Law The Columbus School of Law, also known as Catholic Law or CUA Law, is the law school of the Catholic University of America, a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. More than 400 Juris Doctor students attend Catholic ...

, where he served as an editor of the '' Catholic University Law Review''. While still a student, Connor worked part-time for the general Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board. Later, he served as a clerk to the in-house counsel of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. As a lawyer, Connor practiced corporate and anti-trust law for White & Case, 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 Arthur Leavitt. He resigned that position upon his election to the Senate.

Senate career

He was a member of the

from 1978 to 2008, sitting in the 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th, 189th, 190th, 191st, 192nd, 193rd, 194th, 195th, 196th and

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

'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, who went on to become

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...

2006 Campaign

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, in a special contest decided by the State Legislatur

Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli won the race.

2008 Campaign

In 2008, Senator Connor was opposed in the Democratic primary by

, a former aide to US Senator Chuck Schumer. Connor had been endorsed by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and a number of his fellow state senators and members of Congres

Squadron had been endorsed by Schumer, Mayor

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...

, Congressman

Anthony Weiner Anthony David Weiner (; born September 4, 1964) is an American former politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 until his resignation in 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he consistently carried the district with at l ...

, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, the New York Times and the Working Families Party

A debate, sponsored by the Citizens Union, 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

, 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.

References

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]

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Connor, Martin 1945 births Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Columbus School of Law alumni Notre Dame High School (New Jersey) alumni Politicians from Trenton, New Jersey Living people 2000 United States presidential electors People from Brooklyn Heights