Scranton mourns the death of Former Scranton Mayor Jimmy Connors

Scranton mourns the passing of former Mayor Jim Connors, who was the city's 28th mayor from 1990-2002 and afterward remained a community and political leader right up until his passing.

James P. “Jimmy” Connors, 77, was well-known for his genial, talkative manner and ever-presence throughout the community with his wife, Susan Blum Connors, over the years long after he left City Hall.

Connors also remained active in the Democratic party. On June 14, Connors held a roundtable in Scranton with local senior citizens as part of the kickoff of “Seniors for Biden-Harris,” a national organizing coalition to mobilize key communities in the 2024 election, according to the Biden-Harris campaign.

Word of Connors' death Wednesday led to a community outpouring of grief and well-wishes to his family, as well as reflections on his impact to the city.

“The city of Scranton sadly recognizes the passing of former Mayor James “Jimmy” Connors,” Mayor Paige G. Cognetti said in a statement. “Mayor Connors cherished Scranton and cared passionately about the well-being of our residents. Jimmy never stopped being mayor — he continued to be a warm, jovial, comforting presence at public events and was a source of wisdom for me personally. He’ll live on in Scranton as ‘the Mayor’ and we will deeply miss him. Our hearts are with his wife, Susie, his children and his entire family.”

Connors began his career in public service in the 1970s in city schools and dedicated his time to numerous charitable causes and organizations throughout his life, including Jewish Family Service, the Tour de Scranton, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.

“Connors will be remembered for his tireless service to the City of Scranton, ongoing activism in support of the city and especially its children, his colorful storytelling, his support for our hometown president, Joe Biden, and his presence on stage at Nay Aug Park concerts,” the city statement said.

Scranton Municipal Recreation Authority Chairman Bob Gattens said, "What devastating news today regarding Mayor Connors. I lost a true friend and Nay Aug has lost its strongest supporter."

Others also remarked about how Jimmy and Susie, a retired teacher, were seemingly everywhere throughout the community, regularly attending or participating in various events and organizations.

“It's a sad day for all those who knew him,” Scranton City Controller John Murray said. “He was always a kind man and he devoted tireless hours volunteering for those causes that were dear to him and his lovely wife, Susie. He will be missed.”

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-8, Moosic, said, “Marion and I mourn the loss of our longtime friend and a trusted mentor. While we grieve his passing, we also send our sincerest condolences to his beloved wife, Susie, his entire family, and his many, many friends. The love and support he showered upon the city was surpassed only by the unwavering affection bestowed upon him by his fellow citizens."

Hailing from Minooka, Connors came up through the ranks of the city's school district, neighborhood groups and City Hall, working in various offices and capacities until becoming mayor.

A graduate of Central High School, Connors earned a bachelor's degree in education and history from East Stroudsburg University.

At age 22, Connors was among the half-a-million strong who attended Woodstock in 1969 at Yasgur's Farm in Bethel N.Y.

“All of a sudden you realized that there were half a million of you,” Connors had said in an article in The Times-Tribune in 2019 on the 50th anniversary of The Woodstock Art and Music Fair. “It was a great time and it validated people who were into peace, love and brotherhood.”

Earlier this month, on June 7, during one of his frequent visits with Susie to Zummo's Cafe coffee shop, Connors wore a silver-and-gold Woodstock pendant necklace.

That same day, Connors proudly spoke to a reporter about his granddaughter, actress Quinn Hemphill, landing her biggest movie role yet, in “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” which is the fourth installment of the Will Smith “Bad Boys” movie franchise.

Connors was a city police and fire dispatcher, 1977-79; Title One Administrator for the Scranton School District, 1979-85; and a former president of the Minooka Neighborhood Association and Scranton Council of Neighborhoods.

Connors then worked as Scranton's Director of Community Development for four years in the 1986-90 administration of his predecessor, former Republican Mayor David Wenzel.

Connors had switched parties, from Democratic to Republican, prior to running for mayor, but later switched back to Democrat in 2000 and became a Democratic party stalwart.

Connors' tenure as mayor early on became marked by the city getting labeled as financially distressed under Act 47, a state law enacted in 1987 aimed at helping struggling municipalities.

Connors opposed the Act 47 move made by Scranton City Council. He wanted the city to handle its fiscal problems on its own and cooperate with the city's public safety unions. He also didn't think the city even qualified for Act 47 oversight. But on Oct. 23, 1991, council unanimously agreed to ask the state government to declare Scranton financially distressed and help chart a course for financial recovery. Connors vetoed the move, but the council overrode it. A formal designation by the state followed on Jan. 10, 1992.

The scarlet-letter designation was supposed to run maybe three-to-five years but overshadowed the rest of Connors' tenure and later administrations, as it lasted for 30 years until the city finally successfully exited Act 47 in 2022.

Nearing the end of his third term, Connors cited downtown developments, including the Mall at Steamtown and new movie theaters, bars and restaurants, the Hilton Scranton and Conference Center hotel that was under construction, and offices occupying the former Samter's and Oppenheim buildings and Diversified Information Technologies in the former Globe Store, as achievements that he could at least partly claim credit for during his first 11 years in office.

He also was quick to give credit to efforts by Gov. Robert P. Casey, former U.S. Rep. Joseph M. McDade, the state's U.S. senators, local state legislators, city councilmen and others.

In 2002, Connors was among one of the earliest and biggest local supporters of Democrat Ed Rendell in his run for governor. Rendell then appointed Connors as deputy director of the governor's Northeastern Pennsylvania office, a post he held until stepping down in 2009 to focus on family and volunteer work.

Connors also was honored by having a park that opened in 2008 at 515 Orchard St. in South Side named for him by his successor, former Mayor Chris Doherty, who had defeated Connors in the Democratic mayoral primary election in 2001. Connors Park was the city’s first new park in at least a decade.

In 2014, Connors served as the grand marshal of Scranton’s 53rd Parade Day after being voted in by the St. Patrick’s Parade Association of Lackawanna County. The committee elected Connors in part to honor him for forging Scranton’s relationship with its sister city Ballina in County Mayo, Ireland.

"The lights in the Electric City just got a little bit dimmer with the passing of Scranton Mayor James Connors," Cartwright said. "He will be forever missed but never forgotten."