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Senator Leonard T. Connors, Jr.
Biography
Senator Connors was born in Jersey City on April 11, 1929.
He is a graduate of Wood-Ridge High School and is a veteran
of the Air Force, in which he served from 1947 to 1949.
He was discharged with the rank of sergeant. Senator Connors
retired after a career in the construction industry and
entered public service full time as an Ocean County Freeholder
in 1977. Senator Connors has been mayor of Surf City since
1966. He was the Borough's tax assessor from 1957 to 1962,
and served on the Borough Council from 1962 to 1965. He
began serving the first of his two terms as Ocean County
Freeholder in 1977. He is the former Director of the National
Association of Coastal Mayors. Senator Connors was among
the founders, in 1978, of Ocean County's first Commission
for Handicapped Persons. Since 1977, he has served on the
County's Tourism Council and its Women's Commission and
has been a Director of the United Way Campaign.
Senator Connors was elected to the New Jersey Senate in
1981, and was reelected in 1983, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1997,
2001 and 2003. He is a ranking member of the Senate Community
and Urban Affairs Committee and the State Government Committee.
He is a former member of the bipartisan Legislative Service
Commission. He was the Ocean County Campaign Chairman for
former Governor Thomas H. Kean and served as a member of
Kean's blue ribbon Task Force examining solutions for the
crisis in child support arrearages. Senator Connors was
also appointed to the Senate Select Committee to study the
automobile insurance crisis. In 1989, he was appointed to
the Senate Special Committee on Coastal and Ocean Pollution,
and in 1990, to the Senate Select Task Force on Senior Citizen
Issues. In 1983 and 1984, Senator Connors received the "Legislator
of the Year Award" from the V.F.W.; the 1983 "Good
Fellow Award" from the Italian-American Club of Cedar
Run; the 1987 Humanitarian Award" as a Co-Honoree of
the Associated Humane Society; the 1989 Art Schwerzel Good
Scout Award; the 1990 "Legislator of the Year Award"
of the New Jersey Sheriff's Association; the 1992 Community
Service Award from the Italian-American Society of Ocean
County; the 1993 Legislator of the Year Award of the New
Jersey Association of County Finance Officers; the 1993
Humanitarian Award from the Ocean County Association for
Retarded Citizens and was inducted as an Honorary Lifetime
Member of the New Jersey Jail Wardens Association for his
sponsorship of legislation critical for County Correction
Departments; received the 1995 Legislator of the Year Award
of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors; the 1995 Paul Harris
Fellowship Award of the Lakehurst/Manchester Rotary Club;
the 1996 Public Service Award from the Ladies Auxiliary
of the Retired Police and Firemen's Association of Ocean
County Local No. 8; was named an Honorary Lifetime Member
of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Retired Police and Firemen's
Association of Ocean County Local No. 8, is the recipient
of the 1997 Life Membership Award from the New Jersey Fire
Prevention and Protection Association, was named 1999 Citizen
of the Year by the Bayville Veterans of Foreign Wars Post
9503, was named 2000 Legislator of the Year by VFW Post
6063, received the 2000 Distinguished Service Award from
the State VFW Commander, was appointed 2001 by Gov. Donald
T. DiFrancesco to serve as a member on the World War II
Veterans Memorial Advisory Committee, received the New Jersey
Civilian Commendation Medal from the New Jersey National
Guard Association for 2001, received the Patrick Henry Award
from the New Jersey National Guard Association for 2001
and received the Legislative Achievement Award for 2001
from the State Retired Police and Firemen's Association.
Senator Connors' wife is the former Lorraine G. Marine.
Their children are Leonard T. Connors, III, born September
20, 1952 and Christopher J. Connors, born June 26, 1956.
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