CT Senate bids farewell to leader called ‘conscience of the Connecticut legislature’

Hartford Courant – Thursday, May 28, 2026
By Christopher Keating

State senators and friends hailed outgoing Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney on Wednesday as a living legend ahead of his retirement after 46 years as one of the most influential players at the state Capitol.

In a highly unusual event, former top Senate Republican leaders, including John McKinney and Len Fasano, returned to the chamber in a show of bipartisan appreciation for Looney’s decades of work in the Senate “circle.”

The celebration turned into a Capitol reunion for those who worked closely with Looney, even from more than 25 years ago. The celebrants ranged from former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and former Senate President Don Williams to former House Speaker Tom Ritter and longtime Senate Democratic chief of staff Vinnie Mauro.

“If there was a Mount Rushmore of Connecticut legislators, I don’t know who the other three would be, but we know that Marty Looney would be one of them,” said Derek Slap, a West Hartford Democrat. “You’re going out on top. … We love you, Marty. Thank you.”

State Sen. John Kissel, an Enfield Republican who has served with Looney for the past 34 years, noted that Looney is a major Boston Red Sox fan.

“You are the Ted Williams of this legislature,” said Kissel, referring to one of the greatest hitters in baseball history.

In a break from tradition in which only senators can speak in the historic, third-floor chamber, various high-ranking officials stepped up to the podium to tell their stories about Looney as a Senate giant and living legend.

“Marty, we’re here because we love you,” said Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat who has worked closely with Looney over the past eight years as they negotiated the annual state budget and many complicated bills.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a longtime member of Congress, told the crowd that she and Looney started together as Democrats in New Haven politics in June 1975.

“Marty has been the conscience of the Connecticut legislature … for those who have no lobbyist and no seat at the table,” DeLauro said. “He is one of the finest public servants I have had the honor to call a colleague. … Marty, we are the son and a daughter of immigrant families who would only dare dream where we would end up. … Some may not know your name, but they know what you have done on their behalf.”

Malloy told the crowd that he was running for governor in 2010 and passed by Looney’s New Haven house and saw Marty and his wife, Ellen, as they were cutting the front lawn.

“We’re better because we know him,” Malloy said. “We’re better because we listen to him. … Marty, 46 years, God bless you. You were the leader. … We will be talking about you for years to come.”

Looney will depart in January as the highest-ranking senator with a longtime reputation as a seasoned negotiator and a master at crafting compromises in complicated bills that included capturing sometimes-blocked items that suddenly resurfaced later in the budget implementation bill.

A New Haven stalwart, Looney won his first election as a state lawmaker in 1980 and is now tied with state Rep. Mary Mushinsky of Wallingford as the two longest-serving legislators in Hartford. Mushinsky, too, is not seeking reelection.

Known for being cerebral, low-key and unflappable, Looney, 77, has been a longtime college professor and attorney who brings those skills to the Senate floor as a seasoned debater who frequently makes references to historical figures off the top of his head without using any notes. His near-photographic memory and love of sports allowed him at the age of 10 to start memorizing all the winners of the Heisman Trophy – awarded annually to the top player in college football – that date back to 1935. To this day, he can recall minor details about the Heisman winners from more than 50 years ago.

Even though he was often the smartest and most experienced person in the room, Looney did it without ego and maintained a down-to-earth style for decades, his colleagues said.

In his closing remarks, Looney said he felt like George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” a famous film with many life lessons.

“Mr. Potter would be Donald Trump,” Looney said.

In self-deprecating style, Looney said he will have limited skills at home in his retirement, including that “my culinary range goes from making toast to putting a tea bag in water.”

Looking back on the past 46 years, Looney said, “It has been a blessing, an extraordinary blessing. … We are here for a period of time, blessed by our constituents, to do what we can. … Again, to everyone, it is a great blessing. … When I started out here, I had no idea how long it would be.”

Speeches

In an event that lasted three hours and ended with an extended standing ovation, both Democrats and Republicans stood to praise Looney as a wise colleague who understood the history of the institution of the state legislature.

“Even when things got difficult and testy, you always led with humility and grace,” said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who quoted one of Looney’s students who said that Looney “could talk about American government for three hours and never take a breath.”

After remarks by invited guests, the senators went around the circle to tell their memories.

Noting that they have worked together for 40 years, state Sen. John Fonfara of Hartford said Looney had “never once given me guardrails on how to do the job.”

He added, “Loyalty may not be Marty’s middle name, but it should be.”

Saying that he has served a combined 22 years in the House and Senate, Sen. Doug McCrory of Hartford said, “I have never heard anyone say anything bad about Marty.”

Senate Republican leader Stephen Harding of Brookfield said that Looney’s retirement had brought an impressive crowd of top leaders with high levels of responsibility in state government and beyond.

“When I retire, I would hope all these people would celebrate me,” Harding told Looney. “You represent the good in our humanity. … You can do so without being disagreeable.”

Sen. Norm Needleman, a 77-year-old Essex Democrat, said he will be the oldest person in the chamber after Looney leaves. He said it was remarkable that Looney has often said that when he drives from New Haven and sees the gold dome of the state Capitol that he gets “the same excitement that you did 46 years ago.”

Sen. Gary Winfield, a New Haven Democrat, said he has learned so much by sitting next to Looney in the Senate chamber, adding that it was a high honor to be named by Looney as co-chairman of the powerful judiciary committee.

“It has been amazing to watch you,” Winfield said as he stood only feet away from Looney.

Sen. Tony Hwang, a Fairfield Republican, said Looney not only has a remarkable memory but made a “remarkable recovery from a kidney transplant without skipping a beat” and returning soon to the chamber.

The kidney was donated by Superior Court Judge Brian Fischer, a fellow New Haven attorney who has known the senator for decades. Both leaders attended Notre Dame High School in West Haven, but not at the same time because Looney is five years older than his counterpart. The judge has described his donation as “a nice Christmas present” for a longtime friend.

Since he was a teenager, Looney has lived with Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is a rare form of arthritis that affects the spine and the neck. Those who take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication to treat the condition can suffer from kidney problems.

After his surgery in December 2016, Looney soon returned to the chamber for the start of the session in 2017.

Voting on virtually every issue

From taxes and gun control to education and casino gambling, Looney has voted on every controversial issue at the Capitol over nearly five decades.

He is well known for his support of the earned income tax credit, which was not available at the state level until Malloy became governor. He also pushed to increase the minimum wage and paid family and medical leave, among others.

Looney is proud of his vote in favor of creating the state income tax in 1991, a bitterly contested issue that Looney says has proved to be an effective way to balance the state budget through the years. He also voted in favor of Malloy’s 2011 tax increase, the largest in state history.

A supporter of gun control, Looney has voted consistently for restrictions on firearms. In June 1993, Looney provided a crucial vote on a bill to ban assault weapons that passed the Senate after an 18-18 tie. Lt. Gov. Eunice Groark broke the tie after an emotional debate, and the measure was signed into law by Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr.

Heisman Memories

A sports fan from a young age, Looney told The Courant previously that an event more than 50 years ago triggered his lifelong interest in college football.

“I was 10 years old, and the Heisman Trophy winner that year [1958] was Pete Dawkins from Army,” Looney recalled in an interview. “I remember being enormously impressed that he was both a Heisman Trophy winner and a Rhodes Scholar. It seemed to me, ‘Wow, that was the peak of both worlds that would impress a kid.’ He was both a top athlete and a top student. Every year after that, I just added one more to the list. I went back and learned the Heisman Trophy winners going back to 1935.”

He added, “Ironically, Dawkins became an Army general later on. He became a Republican and ran for the U.S. Senate in New Jersey and lost … He was the last person from Army to win, but then two people from the Naval Academy won after that — Joe Bellino in 1960 and Roger Staubach in 1963.”

Longtime Senate Democratic counsel Joel Rudikoff said that working for Looney was the best years of his life.

“Sometimes in life you get to meet somebody great,” Rudikoff told Looney. “And sometimes in life you get to work for somebody great. … It has been a complete and utter honor to work for you.”

After the senators concluded, McKinney stood up to say that Looney had called him “a good partisan” during his 16 years in the Senate. Noting that Looney, a fellow Catholic high school graduate, is a master at legislative maneuvering, McKinney said he learned lessons from his veteran colleague about negotiating legislation.

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