LACEY – He became a mayor at a young age, and later an assemblyman serving with his father Sen. Leonard Connors and ultimately took over his father’s seat: Chris Connors has no regrets as he concludes a long career serving the public.
The senator will finish his run having chosen not to run for another term in office. He spoke with Jersey Shore Online about his years serving the constituents of the 9th Legislative District working beside his father and then Assemblyman Jeff Moran who currently serves as Ocean County Surrogate.
A staunch Republican, the junior Connors is known for standing by what he feels is best for his constituents and has on occasion bucked the will of some powerful GOP figures.
In one instance that involved him and Moran voting against a GOP state budget plan that led to his and Moran’s temporary exile to be seated with Democrats in the chamber of the golden dome.
Sitting in his Forked River office on Lacey Road, Connors was going through mementos of the past. “It’s been fun like a treasure hunt. I saved all these artifacts and things that bring back memories of where I’ve been and have done.”
His framed NJ Senate and Assembly license plates were among the treasured items. “I took them off the car. They became more problematic. Years ago, when you went back and forth from Trenton, the police never bothered you but then we passed the pension health care reform act and there were some police who weren’t happy with that,” he laughed. “So, I just had regular plates on the car.”
Noting the end of an era of no Connors representing the district after decades of service, he remarked, “It’s been over 40 years and there has always been a Connors name on the ballot in one form or another but it was a good run and it was a good time but like all good runs it has to end,” the Senator said.
As to what led him to conclude that run, Connors said, “it was a combination of things. Three principally, and they all pointed to the same direction. One is that I felt I was losing a step or two after 40 years. When I add the local governing time, it started to get a little more difficult to schedule that next meeting and go through that process, night meetings and the weekend things.”
“When it starts to become a little bit of a struggle and the ambition isn’t there as much, I think it is time to step aside. If you can’t give it 100% then you really shouldn’t be there,” he added.
He said another issue that helped him make the decision was “our culture has changed tremendously. It is so much more contentious than it ever has been. I don’t like the direction of our party, the Republican Party. I don’t like its leadership. I am a moderate Republican and there is no room for moderates and I feel it is incredibly frustrating in that capacity.”
“Lastly, it is time to pump the brakes. There are things I want to make more time for: family, friends, activities. Your calendar is always dictated by what the Senate sessions are and so forth – when you can get away and do certain things. You can become absorbed in it. One day runs into the next and you keep finding yourself saying ‘one day I’m going to do this, one day I’m going to do that’ and then years have gone by and while I still have the ability to do things I want to do them before it becomes too late,” Connors explained.
“There are aspects of this that I will miss tremendously but I’ll still have the flexibility to go to political events and I will still have the law practice, until I feel I have lost steam there,” Connors said. He currently serves as township attorney for his home town of Lacey where he once served as mayor.
He noted that a local official asked him while he was having lunch at The Captain’s Inn if he regretted not running again this year “and I said no. I thought about it long and hard and maybe if it wasn’t for another four-year term, but four years was just too long to commit.”
Connors said, “the reality is you can still go to the political events (and have the social aspect). So, when the political event is over, you don’t have that long laundry list of homework to do that people gave you at the event. It was time. I feel good about my decision and my time here.”
Noting one legislative incident involving the Homestead Rebate and literal bags of responses from residents in concern about it, Connors recalled the time when he was summoned to the floor with other lawmakers and “we literally left Joe (Vicari who recently had his last day office as the longest serving County Freeholder/Commissioner in the state) holding the bag but we did deliver the rebate slips.”
He said his legacy wasn’t anything legislative but “was always constituent service.” He was inspired by his father who he also said was a great friend to him.
“I never felt like I was a boss. We were all co-workers here and we worked together. They did their jobs and the jobs always got done,” he said of the district staff. “I’m going to miss them more than anything else.”
He served the 9th District alongside Assembly members Brian Rumpf, who got re-elected, and Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove, who also did not seek re-election.
Rumpf said that Connors approached his job not only with integrity but with compassion.
Connors said his successor as senator, Carmen Amato, who served as mayor of Berkeley Township for 12 years, “will be very happy. He’s a good guy and will do very well.”
Connors said he won’t be doing any extensive traveling outside a few trips down to Florida as “there is a lot I like to do here in the winter. I’m an avid duck hunter and when the spring comes I’m out fishing. I’m not too much of a traveler. When I do get away it gives me a chance to actually read for pleasure as there is so much stuff for work and I hope to do more of that.”
“Making the decision (not to run) is a difficult decision but once you do, you feel the weight of the world is off your shoulders. It is a relief,” Connors said.
Chris Lundy contributed to this story.
