Funeral Mass For Surf City Mayor, Longtime State Legislator Leonard T. Connors Jr. Set For Friday

Between the two of them, state Senator and Surf City Mayor Leonard T. Connors Jr. and and the late Long Beach Township Mayor and Freeholder James J. Mancini had close to 100 years of service to Long Beach Island.

Mancini died of cancer in 2003. Len Connors was the last remaining longtime mayor on the island.

He was mayor of Surf City for almost 50 years, from 1966 to 2015 . He guided his little oceanfront town through a number of Nor'easters and hurricanes, including Superstorm Sandy.

Connors served two terms on the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders, starting in 1977. He was a former director of the National Association of Coastal Mayors and served as a director for the United Way campaign.

He was the 9th District State Senator from 1981 to 2007. Friends and family recalled his many accomplishments during that time, including legislation that improved polling place accessibility for the disabled and the elderly.

He wrote the law that permitted security officers at nuclear facilities to carry semi-automatic weapons after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. All certified nurse aides, personal care assistants and homemaker-home health aides are required to undergo criminal history record checks as a result of the law authored by Connors in 2000.

Connors was a tireless advocate for senior citizens. He lead a broad coalition of residents to fight state regulation of senior retirement communities. He always contended that seniors were more capable of running their communities than Trenton.

Tributes from around the state have poured in since Connors died Sunday evening with his family by his side.

9th District Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove said Connors had an incredible knack in bringing people together.

"At his core, I always thought of Len as a small town mayor because he genuinely loved his community and believed very strongly that government worked best when it stayed close to the people," Gove said.
“No constituent matter was ever too small for him to give his personal attention to because behind Len’s tough exterior was a very compassionate man, with a clear sense of right and wrong, who helped people in any way that he could."

Many lauded Republican Connors' "moral compass." He often crossed party lines or disagreed with his own party if he thought it was in the best interests of his constituents.

The funeral mass for for Len Connors will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9, 2016 at St. Francis of Assisi R.C. Church, 4700 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach Township, NJ 08008.

Courtesy of 9th District Legislative Office