A Guide to the Assemblywomen Elizabeth A. Connelly Papers, 1974-2002

Archives & Special Collections
College of Staten Island Library, CUNY
2800 Victory Blvd., 1L-216
Staten Island, NY 10314

© 2003 The College of Staten Island, CUNY

Finding Aid by Catherine N. Carson, Mary Hedge & Jeffrey Kroessler

---

Overview of the Collection
Collection No. :	PM-2
Title:	Elizabeth A. Connelly Papers
Creator:	Elizabeth A. Connelly
Dates:	1974-2002
Extent:	36 Linear Feet
Abstract:	Assemblywoman Elizabeth A. Connelly was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1973 as the first woman from Staten Island elected to public office. Connelly was appointed Chairwoman of the Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse in 1977, becoming the first woman Democrat ever to chair a standing Assembly Committee. Connelly was also interested in environmental issues and her activities in closing the Fresh Kills Landfill and in protecting the Staten Island environment. Connelly was appointed to chair the Committee on Standing Committees in 1993 and was appointed Speaker Pro Tempore in 1995, the highest leadership position ever held by a woman in the New York State Assembly. Connelly retired in 2000 as the longest serving woman in the history of the New York State Legislature. The collection contains correspondence, newsletters, reports, press releases, news clippings, public hearing testimony, photographs and awards.

---

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

The Assemblywoman Elizabeth A. Connelly Papers, Archives & Special Collections, Department of the Library, College of Staten Island, CUNY, Staten Island, New York.

Acquisition

Assemblywoman Elizabeth A. Connelly donated her papers to the College of Staten Island in 2000. Additional donations were received in 2003 and 2004. Connelly also left several files on the Willowbrook State School (1975-1993) with SIDDSO that were brought to the College of Staten Island in 2003.

Additional materials are expected for this collection.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Catherine N. Carson, Mary Hedge, Jennifer Crebs, Cortney Riley and Michael Tavani.

Return to the Table of Contents

---

Restrictions

Access

Access to this record group is unrestricted except that some items of correspondence remain closed to researchers.

Copyright Notice

The researcher assumes full responsibility for compliance with laws of copyright. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Coordinator of Archives & Special Collections.

Return to the Table of Contents

---

Biographical Sketch

Elizabeth A. Connelly was born Elizabeth Keresey on June 19, 1928 to John Walter and Alice Marie (Mallon) Keresey in Brooklyn, NY. Her parents' marriage dissolved early, and she and her mother moved in with Connelly's maternal grandparents. Connelly was raised in the Bronx and educated in the public school system. After finishing high school Connelly began work at Pan American World Airways in 1946, ultimately working for the company for eight years. While there, she met Robert V. Connelly in 1948. They were married on September 6, 1952 and moved to Staten Island to raise a family in 1954. By 1966, the couple had four children: Alice, Robert Jr., Margaret and Therese.

Connelly was active in local schools and community activities, including volunteer work at the Staten Island Hospital and local Democratic politics and campaign work. She also continued to raise her family, and in 1973 her children were 8, 15, 17 and 19. She joined the North Shore Democratic Club in 1966 and was also elected to the Democratic County Committee, where she also served as a zone leader from 1972-1974. In 1973, she made her first run for public office for the Assembly seat being vacated by Edward J. Amann, who had been appointed to the Court of Claims. Connelly was nominated by both the Democratic County Committee and the Conservative Party. During her campaign, she spoke out against Republican leadership and spending and stated that her primary concerns were LNG tanks, the hospital bed shortage, sewers and the Willowbrook State School. Upon winning the election, Connelly became Staten Island's first female elected official.

Connelly's first committee assignments were Health, Education and Transportation. In 1975, she was assigned to the Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Developmental Disabilities, Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. When she was named chair in 1977 she became the first woman Democrat to chair an Assembly standing committee. She remained chair from 1977-1992, although Alcohol and Substance Abuse became its own standing committee in 1986. Other committees on which she served include: Education (1974-1976), Transportation (1974-1993), Environmental Conservation (1979-1986), Health (1974-2000), Rules (1981-2000), Veterans (1985-2000), Corrections (1987-2000), House Operations (1980-c 1990) and Ways and Means (1993-2000). In addition, Connelly chaired the Subcommittee for Drunk Driving and the Assembly Intern Committee. She also served on the Assembly Subcommittees for Women Veterans and for Urban Health Care. She served on many tasks forces including the New York State Task Force on the Implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the New York State AD HOC Task Force on AIDS, the New York State Task Force on Teenage Suicide Prevention, Governor Cuomo's Interagency Task Force on Troubled and Needy Children and the Assembly Task Forces on the Homeless and on New Americans. Connelly also ran successfully for Delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1976, 1980, 1988 and 1996.

In the 1990's, Connelly held several leadership positions in the state government. In 1993, the Legislature elected her to chair the New York State Legislative Women's Caucus and Speaker Saul Weprin appointed her to chair the Committee on Committees. Speaker Sheldon Silver appointed her to be Speaker Pro Tempore in 1995, the highest-ranking leadership position ever held by a woman in the history of the New York State Assembly. When Connelly retired in 2000, she was the longest serving woman in the history of the New York State Legislature.

Connelly was called the "guardian angel of the mentally disabled in New York State" by Dr. Kenneth Popler, Executive Director of the Staten Island Mental Health Society. She was instrumental in securing funds for mental health programs and in creating the Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled. Connelly was also involved in issues related to Willowbrook State School, and pushed for improvements after she made an unannounced tour of the school in January, 1974. Connelly fought against negative stereotypes of the mentally ill and developmentally disabled. She worked to extend the MTA's Half Fare program to include the mentally ill, to create a wheelchair "lemon law" and to limit extensive travel time for handicapped students. She was interested in issues relating to special education, deinstitutionalization, group homes and the treatment of the mentally disabled in courts, prison systems and death penalty laws. She was instrumental in passing laws requiring insurance coverage for formulas needed by persons with metabolic disorders such as Phenylketonuria (PKU), which if untreated, causes mental retardation. She was also a strong proponent of involuntary outpatient commitment and was the prime sponsor of legislation creating the pilot program at Bellevue Hospital. Her personal commitment and leadership of the Committee on Mental Health helped redefine how the mentally ill and developmentally disabled are treated in New York and throughout the United States.

Connelly was also a strong supporter of environmental causes. She successfully sued the City of New York over Fresh Kills Landfill in 1978. As a result of her lawsuits, the city was required to maintain stricter control over the landfill and to meet certain conditions regarding its operation. In 1996, Connelly co-sponsored legislation to close the landfill by 2002. Connelly was involved in many environmental concerns including the Greenbelt, Sandy Ground, Graniteville Quarry, Mount Loretto, parks, wetlands, air quality, the mechanical dredging of shellfish, aircraft noise pollution, LNG tanks and ship pilot's issues. She also worked tirelessly against dredging and the deposit of dredged materials in waters around New York Harbor and Raritan Bay.

Connelly is also well known for her commitment to Staten Island and to issues related to health, veterans, education, compulsive gambling, alcoholism and substance abuse. She also fought for the people and neighborhoods in her North Shore district, which included the poorer areas of Staten Island. She was involved in efforts to re-open the abandoned North Shore railroad and she fought to keep shipping container companies and to preserve jobs, an Army National Guard Unit and the Naval Homeport. She also supported Staten Island's secession movement and was the Vice-Chairman of the Staten Island Charter Commission.

Connelly was involved in local groups and issues throughout her career. She served on numerous boards and was a member of many committees, societies, councils and other community organizations. She was also one of the two first women named to the Board of Trustees of The Staten Island Hospital during her first year in office, and was later the first woman chair. She received 376 awards and citations during 1974-2002, and was named a Staten Island Advance Woman of Achievement in 1985. There are also several facilities on Staten Island that were named in her honor, including the Elizabeth A. Connelly Resource Center and the Elizabeth A. Connelly Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Center of St. Vincent's North Richmond Community Mental Health Center. She was committed to her family throughout her career, and by 2003, her three daughters had married and she had six grandchildren. She remains active during her retirement, and served as the Honorary Staten Island Chairperson for Hillary Clinton's U.S. Senate campaign in 2000.

Chronology
	June 19, 1928	Born Elizabeth Keresey to John Walter and Alice Marie (Mallon) Keresey in Brooklyn.
	1946	Began work at Pan American Airlines. She worked for the company for eight years in both traffic and sales.
	Sept. 6, 1948	Married Robert V. Connelly. She had met Connelly, a native Staten Islander, at Pan American Airlines in 1948.
	1954	Moved to Graniteville with her husband.
	1961	Began volunteering at Staten Island Hospital; named Volunteer of the Year in 1972 and 1973.
	1966	Joined the North Shore Democratic Club, and later became secretary.
	1972	Elected Democratic Party district leader.
	1973	Appointed to the New York City Diamond Jubilee committee.
	Nov. 1973	In her first try for elective office, Mrs. Connelly was endorsed by the Democratic and Conservative parties and defeated Republican John K. Winter for the Assembly seat long-held by Republican Edward Amann. She became the first woman elected to public office on Staten Island. Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. Cons. Total 13,365 3,325 16,690 John K. Winter Rep. 11,260 Total Turnout 27,950
	Dec. 8, 1973	Sworn in by Judge Vito Titone as a member of the State Assembly.
	Jan. 1974	Made her first inspection tour of Willowbrook State School.
	June 1974	Named to the Board of Trustees of Staten Island Hospital.
	Sept. 1974	Defeated Mark Herman in the Democratic primary, 5,475 to 1,222.
	Nov. 1974	Reelected for her first full term in the Assembly (61st Assembly District). Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. 18,289 Anthony I. Giacobbe Rep. 11,415 George Boelger Con. 3,041 Joseph Sully Lib. 621 Total Turnout 33,366
	Jan. 1975	Named to the Assembly Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Developmental Disabilities, Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.
	March 1975	Appointed by Mayor Beame to the new Commission on the Status of Women.
	June 1975	Appointed to a special task force by Assembly Speaker Stanley Steingut to oversee the reorganization of the Department of Mental Hygiene.
	June 17, 1975	Her first bill was signed into law: A3295A, making it illegal to pass a stopped school bus on Staten Island (Chapter 254).
	Aug 1975	Appointed by Governor Carey to a special task force on the storage and transportation of liquefied natural gas.
	July 1976	Served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention held in Madison Square Garden.
	Nov. 1976	Reelected to the Assembly (61st Assembly District). Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. 22,159 Robert Minogue Rep. Con. Total 15,059 4,247 19,306 Richard L. Prideaux Lib. 1,093 Total Turnout 42,558
	Jan. 1977	Appointed Chair of the Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Developmental Disabilities, Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, becoming the first woman Democrat to chair a standing committee in the legislature. Under her leadership, a bill calling for the reorganization of the Department of Mental Hygiene's rules was enacted (Chapter 978).
	Dec. 1977	Relocated her district office to a building in the Willowbrook Developmental Center.
	Sept. 1978	Filed suit in State Supreme Court to close the Fresh Kills Landfill.
	Nov. 1978	Re-elected to the Assembly (61st Assembly District). Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. 18,781 Robert Helbock Rep. Con. Total 11,036 Total Turnout 29,817
	Jan. 1979	Appointed to the Environmental Conservation Committee, serving through 1986.
	July 11, 1979	Legislation addressing the special needs of women alcoholics was signed into law (Chapter 659), providing funding for the creation of Amethyst House.
	July 1980	Served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
	Nov. 1980	Re-elected to the Assembly (61st Assembly District). Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. 18,987 Joseph F. Giacalone Rep. Con. Total 13,047 3,087 16,134 Alfred J. Thompson RTL 2,178 Mary Desiato Lib. 775 Total Turnout 42,746 This is the highest turnout of any of Mrs. Connelly's races.
	Jan. 1981	Named to the Assembly Rules Committee, serving until her retirement.
	Oct. 1981	The Elizabeth A. Connelly Resource Center dedicated at Willowbrook.
	1982	Sponsored the bill that raised the drinking age from 18 to 19 in the state
	Nov. 1982	Re-elected to the Assembly (58th Assembly District). Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. 17,107 Richard Thomas Rep. RTL Total 6,507 1,004 7,511 Richard F. Birmingham Con. 1,545 Walter H. Pearsons Lib. 386 Total Turnout 26,549
	Nov. 1984	Re-elected to the Assembly (58th Assembly District). Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. 22,715 Karina Constantino Rep. Con. RTL Total 13,407 1,825 1,102 16,334 Total Turnout 39,049
	Jan. 1985	Appointed to the Veterans Committee, serving until her retirement.
	Oct. 1985	The Staten Island Advance named Elizabeth Connelly an Advance Woman of Achievement.
	Nov. 1986	Re-elected to the Assembly (58th Assembly District). Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. 14,549 Karina Constantino Rep. Con. RTL Total 6,022 1,276 852 8,150 Walter H. Pearsons Lib. 336 Total Turnout 23,035
	Jan. 1987	Appointed to the Corrections Committee, serving until her retirement.
	1987	Named "Humanitarian of the Year" by Staten Island Center for Independent Living.
	July 1988	Served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
	Nov. 1988	Re-elected to the Assembly (58th Assembly District). Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. 22,745 Robert E. Mahoney Rep. Con. Total 9,872 2,056 11,928 James P. McCoy RTL 699 Total Turnout 35,372
	Dec. 1989	Sponsored bill that allowed for the referendum on Staten Island Secession and the creation of a Charter Commission.
	Nov. 1990	Reelected to the Assembly (58th Assembly District). Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. 22,745 Thomas R. Quinlan III Rep. Con. Total 4,956 1,979 6,935 Michael V. Vacca, Jr. RTL 1,099 Total Turnout 23,273
	Jan. 18, 1991	Amethyst House, a residence for women with alcoholism, was formally dedicated on the grounds of Bayley Seton Hospital. The facility had accepted its first residents in June 1990, and reached its capacity of 20 clients by October 1990. Mrs. Connelly had long supported this effort and had brought attention to the lack of facilities for women with alcoholism.
	Nov. 1992	Re-elected to the Assembly (59th Assembly District). Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. 24,739 Louis D. Fraser Rep. Con. Total 8,345 1,502 9,847 Donald Reese RTL 1,420 Total Turnout 36,006
	1993	Appointed by Speaker Weprin to chair the Committee on Committees. This is her first leadership appointment.
		Named to the Ways and Means Committee, serving until her retirement.
		Elected by the Legislature to chair the New York State Legislative Women's Caucus.
		Sponsored bill that required certain health insurance policies to cover the cost of formulas necessary for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU) and related disorders.
		Sponsored the "Wheelchair Lemon Law" that gave consumers similar rights and protection with regard to defective wheelchairs as already existed for defective automobiles.
	Feb. 28, 1994	The Staten Island Charter Commission delivered its findings, concluding that "it is possible to provide current services for a city the size of Staten island with the current level of revenues" and proposing legislation "enabling the borough of Staten Island to disengage and separate from the City of New York." Senator Marchi and Assemblywoman Connelly introduced the legislation to create the City of Staten Island, but the bill died on March 4 when Sheldon Silver, Speaker of the Assembly, declared that he would not bring the Charter for the City of Staten Island to the floor without a "home rule" message from the City. On June 14 Mrs. Connelly and the other Staten Island legislators, Robert Straniere and Eric Vitaliano, sued the Speaker to overrule his decision.
	Nov. 1994	Re-elected to the Assembly (59th Assembly District). Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. 18,073 Leo V. Duval Rep. 6,784 John F. Matusewicz Con. 1,379 David Goldfarb Lib. 935 Tadeusz Stola RTL 576 Total Turnout 27,747
	1995	Appointed Speaker Pro Tempore, the highest rank ever attained by a woman in the state legislature.
	Feb. 27, 1996	Cardinal O'Connor presented Mrs. Connelly with an award from the New York State Catholic Conference.
	May 1996	Co-sponsored legislation to force the closing of the Fresh Kills landfill by 2002.
	May 10, 1996	Received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Wagner College.
	June 1996	Sponsored bill to create a fiduciary fund for the New York State Women Veterans Memorial.
	Aug. 1996	Served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
	Nov. 1996	Re-elected to the Assembly (59th Assembly District). Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. 20,807 Stephen J. Fiala Rep. Con. Fre. Total 6,767 1,418 209 8,394 Caroline A. Cutroneo Ind. 603 Total Turnout 29,804
	1997	Sponsored bill that extended the MTA half-fare program to include the mentally ill.
		Sponsored bill that created an involuntary commitment pilot program at Bellevue Hospital for the mentally ill. This program was a predecessor to Kendra's Law.
	Nov. 1998	Reelected to the Assembly (59th Assembly District). Elizabeth A. Connelly Dem. 18,025 Michael J. Attisano Rep Con. Total 5,032 1,355 6,387 Maureen P. Donohue Lib. 383 William Bryk RTL 430 Total Turnout 25,225
	April 13, 2000	Announced she would not seek reelection to the Assembly. She was the longest serving woman in the history of the state legislature at her retirement.
	June 2000	Named the honorary campaign chair of Hillary Clinton's U.S. Senate campaign on Staten Island.
	Oct. 2000	Donated her public papers to the Archives and Special Collections, College of Staten Island.
	2001	The Elizabeth A. Connelly Seaview Traumatic Brain Injured Rehabilitation Gym was dedicated.
		Received special awards and recognition from the Staten Island Branch of the NAACP; the National Council of Negro Women; the Staten Island African/American Political Association; the Staten Island Inter-Agency Council; the Substance Abuse Association of Staten Island; the Foundation of Advocacy for Mental Health and the Mental Health Association of New York; the Staten island Tough Love Organization for her support of PINS reform legislation; the first annual Marie J. Goepel Award from the March of Dimes; the Sailor's Snug Harbor Little League; the New York City Council; and the Comptroller of the City of New York.
	2002	The Elizabeth A. Connelly Pavilion was dedicated at the Meals on Wheels headquarters in Port Richmond, and the Elizabeth A. Connelly Way street sign was dedicated at the West Shore Little League.
		Received awards from Senator John Marchi; the Business and Professional Women's Organization of Staten Island; the Staten Island Center of Independent Living; the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Staten Island; Blessed Sacrament Holy Name Society; the West Brighton Tenants Organization; and was named the United Hospital Fund's "Trustee of the Year."
	May 29, 2002	Received an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the College of Staten Island.

Return to the Table of Contents

---

Scope & Content Note

The Assemblywoman Elizabeth A. Connelly Papers contain correspondence, news clippings, newsletters, reports, press releases, statements, bills, legislative resolutions, photographs, videos, biographical materials and memorabilia. The majority of the records originate from Connelly's Albany office with the exception of press clippings located in the News Clippings subseries of the Media Files series that were collected by the Connelly's District Office on Staten Island (Box 75). Although collection materials cover Connelly's entire Assembly career, there is more material available from the last decade of her career than earlier decades. There are also several files on the Willowbrook State School (1975-1993) that Connelly left with SIDDSO that were brought to the College of Staten Island in 2003.

The focus of the collection is New York State legislation. The Subject Files comprise about two thirds of the collection (approximately 24 linear feet). This series contains the general subject files and is arranged alphabetically by subject. Most files deal with specific legislative initiatives but also include subjects of interest to Connelly and/or on which she received correspondence. The general subject files contain mainly correspondence, statements, newsclipings, press releases and bills but also include such records as pamphlets, programs and reports. The Legislative Files comprise approximately 3.5 linear feet and cover 1975-2000. There is a comprehensive list of all Connelly's prime sponsored legislation with additional information on the bills and resulting laws, vetoes or recalls by the governor (Box 65, Folder 1). The comprehensive list covers 1975-2000, while the rest of the files cover 1989-2000. The series contains files arranged by committee or topic (1999-2000), files arranged chronologically and then by bill number (1990-2000), files on secession (1989-90, 1998) and general chronological files (1995-2000). The Legislative Files also contain Connelly's Assembly Floor Voting Records for the 1991, 1993-2000 Regular Sessions. The Subject Files and the Legislative Files are particularly strong in issues related to Connelly's committee assignments and in issues related to education, mental health, health, drunk driving, compulsive gambling, alcohol and substance abuse, cemeteries, secession and environmental issues such as Fresh Kills Landfill, Graniteville Quarry, ship pilots and the dredging of New York Harbor.

Campaign information contained in the Campaign series covers only the 1994, 1996 and 1998 re-election campaigns. There are a few items of ephemera from the 1980's and the 1992 campaigns, but no campaign files. There is one folder containing speeches, 1979-1998, in the Speeches subseries of the Media Files series. The collection of photographs (Box 82) in the Photographs series comprises one small box and includes photographs from Connelly’s Assembly career.

The Connelly papers contain a large amount of correspondence. Most correspondence is in the Subject Files but there is approximately 1 linear foot in the Constituent Correspondence series covering 1999-2000, arranged chronologically. Additionally, there is correspondence on specific bills and budget issues in the Legislative Files series.

Most media related records including press releases, statements, newsletters and newsclippings are found throughout the collection. However, within the Media Files series there is one box of press releases, 1982-2000 and one folder of statements, 1979, 1989-2000. There is a separate box of newsletters, 1974-2000, which contains an entire run of all Connelly's newsletters (approximately 65 in all). The District Office on Staten Island created its own newsclipping files, and these comprise approximately one box (Box 75). There is also a small box (about 1") of newsclippings covering 1985-1994 (Box 76). There are additional biographical newsclippings in the Biographical Files subseries of the Personal Files series. There are no audiotapes in the collection but there are two videotapes in the Video subseries of the Media Files series. There is also one folder containing information on television program appearances in the Personal Files series and some photographs related to the Capital Close-Up program (1988) in the Photographs series.

Although the Personal Files series does include biographical files and personal files, but there are none of the appointment books, guest books or schedules that one might expect to find in the collection. There is a small box of invitations and programs in the Invitations Accepted and Rejected subseries, but additional invitations can be found within the Subject Files series. The Scrapbooks series contains one scrapbook of biographical newsclippings used at a Staten Island appreciation function for Connelly after her retirement from the Assembly. The Memorabilia series includes various awards, pen certificates and plaques.

Return to the Table of Contents

---

Arrangement

The Assemblywoman Elizabeth A. Connelly papers are divided into nine series and several subseries:

Return to the Table of Contents

---

Index Terms

This collection is indexed under the following terms. Manuscipt collections are not included in the College of Staten Island's library catalog at this time.

Subject Names

Subject Topics

Return to the Table of Contents

---

Series Descriptions & Container Listing

---

Return to the Table of Contents