Marty Connor

It's hard not to notice Dan Squadron these days. Voters are hearing the voice of Michael Bloomberg. They're seeing Chuck Schumer's name. And more than a few have had their hands shaken by Anthony Weiner.

The 28-year-old Democratic State Senate candidate, who has never held public office and whose experience has been largely under Schumer's tutelage, is looking to unseat 30-year incumbent Marty Connor of the Lower East Side.

Under normal circumstances, it would be an uphill battle--an insurgent candidate against a well-situated incumbent. But Squadron has built a campaign formidable enough to make it hard to identify which candidate is the underdog.  read more »

As noted earlier, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer threw his support behind Dan Squadron, becoming one of the most prominent Democrats to back him in his Democratic primary challenge to state Senator Marty Connor.

Connor has responded with this statement:

“The Manhattan Borough President and I have an excellent working relationship and I am confident it will continue once the voters send me back to Albany. I'm proud to be endorsed by the vast majority of the progressive unions, organizations and leaders in New York based on my strong record on education, affordable housing and quality health care.

“As the Democratic Senator with the most expertise on Senate Rules and practices, I look forward to adopting extensive Rules changes that promote open and honest government next year when we are in the majority.”

On Tuesday, Michael Bloomberg endorsed state Senate candidate Dan Squadron, and this morning, several City Council members came out with their endorsement of Squadron’s opponent, incumbent Marty Connor. Among them was City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who has an extremely close working relationship with the mayor.

It'll be interesting to see how they (and Quinn in particular) react to the mayor's involvement in the race. Remember, Bloomberg did give money to the Republicans in Albany and, as Connor reminded me earlier, the mayor isn't exactly a Democrat any more and this is their primary.

Earlier, Connor supporters had some unfriendly words for another Squadron supporter, Chuck Schumer, who was getting involved in the race.

 

UPDATE: A Connor spokesman emailed me after today's press conference: "No one asked about the Bloomberg endorsement."

Although it sometimes seems like 30-year incumbent State Senator Marty Connor is playing the underdog role in his race against young, Schumer-backed challenger Dan Squadron, Connor certainly has his share of establishment backing.

And here's more! On Monday, a number of members of Congress will endorse Connor at City Hall.

A release promises Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler and Nydia Velázquez at a press conference, as well as the possibility of Yvette Clarke, and the endorsement of Ed Towns, although he won't be able to make it. (He has to fend off Kevin Powell, after all.)

Superintern Bharat Ayyar has a report from a protest against reopening the Brooklyn House of Detention, where a hearty collection of elected officials pointed out that "people live here now."

He also sent in this dispatch on a delicate situation that unfolded there:

There was an unexpected guest at this afternoon’s rally to stop the Brooklyn House of Detention’s reopening and expansion: Dan Squadron, who is challenging State Senator Marty Connor in 25th district. His attendance was not announced prior to the event.

Connor was there, too, which could have made for an awkward situation. I asked Connor what he thought about Squadron making an appearance.  read more »

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Earlier this afternoon, a diverse cast of politicians gathered in front of the Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic Avenue to protest the Bloomberg administration's plan to reopen and expand the downtown jail. (It was the Bloomberg administration that closed it back in 2003, due to high costs).

Councilman and city comptroller candidate David Yassky, comptroller and likely mayoral candidate Bill Thompson, State Senators Marty Connor and Velmanette Montgomery, Assemblywoman Joan Millman, and Randy Mastro, a deputy mayor under Rudy Giuliani, were among the rally participants. They all gave the current administration an earful for creating what they portray as a serious impediment to the goal of creating a financial hub in Brooklyn.  read more »

State Senator Marty Connor announced he got the endorsement of UFCW Local 1500, a union that backed his opponent in 2006.

The union picked Connor without conducting an interview with either the senator or his opponent, Dan Squadron.

According to an email from a Connor spokesman, union president Bruce Both explained: “You will notice that this endorsement was given without our Union requesting an interview. We do so based on your strong record of supporting workers rights, preserving our middle class and helping working families. We are confident that you will do so in the future.”

A call to a UFCW 1500 spokesperson was not immediately returned.

Democracy for New York City’s decision to endorse neither State Senator Marty Connor nor his challenger--former Chuck Schumer aide Dan Squadron--has sparked an interesting debate among some stalwarts of the progressive Democratic community.

(It should be noted how the decision came about: neither Connor nor Squadron got 60 percent of votes from DFNYC voting members.)

Michael Bouldin, who blogs regularly on Daily Gotham, says that Connor isn't all that bad, but takes a throw-the-bums-out view of the need to replace him:

“We need, as a state, to infuse fresh blood into both chambers of the legislature; Dan Squadron's campaign could be the first ripple of a wave of new fresh faces who are suddenly considering public service.  read more »

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Ken Diamondstone, who recently abandoned a bid to try for the second time to unseat State Senator Marty Connor, just announced this morning that he will run for City Council in the 33rd district.

The district, which includes Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO, is currently represented by term-limited David Yassky.

In the announcement, Diamondstone’s campaign said he will “make history by becoming Brooklyn’s first openly gay representative to any legislative body in New York State.”

He has reason to believe he can do it.  read more »

Last night, Dan Squadron won the endorsement of the Downtown Independent Democrats, one of the major clubs in the district.

That’s a blow to his opponent, incumbent State Senator Marty Connor (especially since the club voted to endorse other local incumbents seeking reelection: Jerry Nadler and Sheldon Silver).

In a brief chat this morning, Squadron said he was honored by the endorsement; he added that he thinks it is “a real vote of the real membership who have had a real engagement in the community.”

Part of Squadron's campaign for the club’s endorsement was a letter he sent to each of the members. Squadron wrote:  read more »

Last night, former Real World star and current congressional candidate Kevin Powell showed up at a public forum and endorsement vote hosted by Democracy for New York City looking for a fight with the incumbent, Representative Ed Towns. He didn't get one.

With only one candidate present, Ken Diamondstone (who recently abandoned a planned primary challenge to State Senator Marty Connor) served as the somewhat superfluous moderator.

The small crowd (crowd estimate: 12) met in a candlelit corner of the Boat Bar in Carrol Gardens. Surrounded by buoys and forced to yell over Buzzcocks played very loudly over the speakers in the bar, Powell gave a speech and took questions and blasted Towns for not being there.

“I think it is unfair and unwise for Mr. Towns not to show up even though we haven’t gotten to the district process,” he said.

It wouldn't be the first time Towns took a low-profile approach to a re-election campaign. Nor would it be the first time one of his challengers complained loudly about it. In 2006, both Charles Barron and Roger Green ran against him, and consistently criticized Towns' failure to show up for events. The final result: Towns 19,469, Barron 15,345, Green 6,237.  read more »

Streetsblog quoted State Senator Marty Connor talking about congestion pricing during a debate this weekend with his challenger, former Chuck Schumer aide Dan Squadron.  read more »

A Democrat running for an open Assembly seat on Manhattan's East Side has spent more money than his Republican challenger has raised. Which is incredible if you consider how strong the East Side Republican establishment had once been.

Republican Greg Camp raised $42,760 and spent only $18.09 (“food for campaign staff”). $3,000 of Camp’s money came from the Committee for Roy Goodman, the former state Senator and patriarch of that once formidable GOP establishment.

Democrat Micah Kellner raised $78,137 and spent $47,453.32. Kellner’s first expense was a $100 donation to the campaign committee of Councilman Dan Garodnick. Other expenses went to his election lawyer, state Senator Martin Connor, his consultants, and to paying for campaign literature.

Which is an expense Camp should be reporting soon.

UPDATE: More on the financial reporting here.  read more »

A legislative aide briefed on today's meeting of Assembly Democrats said that the "consensus is not to do one of the three" comptroller candidates recommended by the Eliot Spitzer-backed independent screening panel. What the conference should do instead remains unclear, the aide said.

Liz Benjamin, whose turf I'm gingerly tiptoeing on right now, has more on all this here.

Oh. And about rumor that state Senator Marty Connor, who was once Eliot Spitzer's election lawyer, had offered himself up as a compromise candidate?

His spokesman called with a response: No comment.

-- Azi Paybarah

Sheldon Silver and the Assembly Democrats are still in conference discussing what to do about their unenviable options regarding the vacant comptroller position.

There have been a number of names of possible "compromise candidates" floated by people involved with process, some less plausible-sounding than others (Marty Connor!), although picking anyone at this point who isn't on the approved list of candidates would be an act of overt political war against Eliot Spitzer. (And, therefore, not really a compromise at all.)

Isac, meanwhile, has a prediction: "They're going against Spitzer." -- Azi Paybarah

The first mailing to go out in the race between Marty Connor and Ken Diamondstone began landing on doorsteps in the 25th senate district yesterday. Connor's mailing earlier this summer was, technically speaking, a state senate mailing.

The picture and rhetorical question speak for itself. (Front: "When State Senator Martin Connor goes to Albany, he takes the only voter he cares about with him." Back: "Himself.")

The mailing builds momentum for Diamondstone on the heels of the recent New York Times endorsement. It also follows the same talking points Diamondstone has told the Politicker. Also worth noting is the microscopic font Diamondstone used to say that he's the one who paid for the mailing.  read more »

Okay, back to my vacation.

—Nicole Brydson

We've just heard from Ken Diamondstone that Marty Connor will appeal the Supreme Court decision to allow Diamondstone to appear on the ballot in their race for State Senate, and that they will appear at the Brooklyn Appellate Courthouse tomorrow.

Diamondstone contends that Connor is attempting to further tie up his campaign resources with the challenge, which could run through August 23, and believes that Connor doesn't want to talk about the issues facing the district, calling him "mostly absent." And he said that the whole effort to elimiate him from the race was actually about...

Clarence Norman.

Read on for more comments from Diamondstone after the jump. And let us know what you think.  read more »

While we're waiting for the verdict in the Connor v. Diamondstone case -- and in the interests of making the most of this spirited Senate primary contest while we're still sure that there are two candidates -- here are some highlights from their campaign filings:

Ken Diamondstone has loaned his committee $233,550 and contributed $52,742.35 (reimbursements are not distinguished). Individual contributions total $76,575.35 and expenses were $102,691.23. Some of his expenditures include printing, postage office supplies and consulting fees for a number of different people.

Marty Connor's filing shows the senator with an opening balance of negative $22,833.42 -- an amount he disputes -- with $39,000 contributed and $20,554.15 in expenses. He also lent his campaign $2,050 in January and February. Connor's expenditures include car insurance and maintenance, contributions to Democratic clubs including the county committee and to the Working Families Party, office expenses in Brea, CA, and consulting from the Parkside Group.

And now back to our verdict vigil.

—Nicole Brydson

When is a club's endorsement not really an endorsement?

On June 7, Ken Diamondstone's campaign put out a press release announcing his endorsement by CoDA, a Lower East Side Democratic club, over his incumbent opponent, Martin Connor, for the 25th State Senate district. (Soon after, Diamondstone received the backing of the Working Families Party.)

Then, it seems, something changed. CoDA was no longer endorsing Diamondstone.

The scenario we heard was that Rosie Mendez, the former 74th A.D. District Leader and now Council Member, pushed for a re-vote on behalf of Connor, an ally of Mendez and of her mentor, Margarita Lopez.

According to the Diamondstone campaign, the club rescinded its endorsement only after Mendez forced through a change in the bylaws that suddenly required endorsees to receieve 55 percent of members' votes instead of a simple majority.

"That is not correct, no," said Mendez. "Originally we had an endorsement meeting and Ken Diamondstone won by like 50, he won by a couple of votes, I think it was 51, 52 percent of the vote. We didn't have our bylaws there, and when we checked the bylaws it turned out that he needed 55 percent of the vote so there was a re-vote and then there was no endorsement on the re-vote."

"Just last week they had a regular monthly meeting to vote on the bylaw change to allow for the 55 percent so it obviously wasn't in effect when they said it was," said a Diamondstone spokesman.

Coincidentally, perhaps, Connor almost lost the endorsement of the Brooklyn-based Independent Neighborhood Democrats in April before something similar (pdf) happened.

"I endorsed months and months ago, and I endorsed Marty Connor," Mendez said. "If I was stacking the club in favor of Connor, he would have gotten the endorsement."  read more »

—Nicole Brydson

IND Brooklyn's endorsement meeting date-change has created a messy situation over at the club, leaving many new members feeling like they've been barred from casting a ballot in the May vote because incumbent Senator Marty Connor could lose the endorsement of his own club to rival Ken Diamondstone.

The On NY Turf blog has written about the move as well, quoting an Erik Enquist article from Crain's on an issue the club had last year when Mark Peters was running for Brooklyn DA.

"The months leading up to the Independent Neighborhood Democrats endorsement for Brooklyn district attorney featured a steady stream of whispers that candidate Mark Peters was stacking the club with his supporters...."

"There was even debate over whether it's uncouth to pack a club. When some IND members stood up at the meeting and complained, Peters supporter and former club president Greg Atkins (now chief of staff for Borough President Marty Markowitz) declared, I'm shocked that people are saying that. This is a political club you pack it. That's what you do."

On the flipside, others are in favor of the date change because it gives the club the reformer reputation that it seems to desire, not that of a cog in the Democratic machine. However, it was made clear prior to the membership deadline that new members could sign up and vote at the endorsement meeting.

—Nicole Brydson

Gawker puts two and two together, and decides Mike is running for ... King.

A new Gotham Gazette blog, Albany Matters, Wonkster has some questions about Marty Connor paying for his car out of his campaign account.

Liz Benjamin reports that Weld is leaning toward endoring Spencer.

And Josh Marshall formulates the (now, apparently, discredited) evil twin defense in the White House's Claude Allen mess.

Know that Brooklyn judicial race that maybe you vaguely feel like you should be following though you're not?

Anyway, the "reform" candidate, Margarita Lopez Torres, has won it by 205 votes, doubling her margin of victory from the first count, Crain's Erik Engquist emails.  read more »

It's something of a blow to the new Brooklyn boss, Vito Lopez, and to the county organization's hopes of controlling a major source of courthouse patronage, its last stronghold.

"There's a party Sunday to pay her campaign debt, which I'd imagine she owes mostly to Marty Connor [her lawyer]," he writes.

Various electeds and other assorted downtown activist types are getting together Sunday to protest the continued storage of diesel fuel at 60 Hudson Street.

The 24-story building, between Worth and Thomas streets, straddles the Tribeca-WTC border and houses equipment for telecommunications companies. But also--more than 80,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

They're worried that an accident at the building could cause the fuel to ignite. The storage of diesel fuel in the base of 7 World Trade Center, they argue, was the reason for that building's collapse late in the day on Sept. 11.

They're allowed to do that because of a variance issued by the Department of Buildings--which Jerry Nadler, Marty Connor, Deborah Glick, Alan Gerson, and Sally Regenhard of the Skyscraper Safety Campaign want the city to rescind.  read more »

- Tom McGeveran