Looks like the Village Voice is leaning towards State Senator Martin “Marty” Connor in the race for the 25th state senate district. The beatnik’s favorite newspaper sees the race as Chuck Schumer’s “Wal-Mart” empire (Squadron) versus a mom and pop hardware store (Connor). Witness these passages:
On Squadron:
Squadron also brings something new and potent to the Schumer cocktail: family money and his own powerful connections. Squadron’s late father, Howard, was a lawyer for Rupert Murdoch, head of one of the city’s most influential law firms, and a major player in Jewish-community affairs. For 25 years, Howard Squadron’s was a well-thumbed card in the Rolodex of every city power broker. Daniel Squadron declines to discuss his personal wealth, but he acknowledges that he doesn’t have to work at the moment and that a Squadron family trust takes care of things. Whatever his worth, his access to the moneyed crowd, along with the Schumer seal of approval, has made him a hit on the fundraising circuit. He has already raised $430,000 in his campaign, most of it from outside the district.
On Connor:
He’s certainly been there awhile. Connor won the seat in 1978, a year before Squadron was born. But on a checklist of progressive issues—housing, health, education, environment, labor, gay rights—he gets as high a grade as any of his peers. He’s also the Democrats’ go-to man for election-law issues, no small talent in an ever-fractious legislature. He’s also been involved in every major political battle, and has the battle scars to prove it. One was in 1998, when he thought Geraldine Ferraro would make a better U.S. senator than Schumer. Apparently the winner never forgot.
