The Hon. James P. “Jimmy” Connors was a consummate people pleaser. Personally, his indefatigable zeal to make friends and win over foes was his greatest strength. Politically, it was often his deepest weakness.
The 28th mayor of Scranton was a born performer who never shrunk from the spotlight or passed on an opportunity to take the stage. His favorite venue was the Sunday Concert Series at Nay Aug Park, where Jimmy would join any band that knew “Johnny B. Goode” and didn’t mind him substituting “Jimmy” in the chorus.
“Music and politics were his passions,” Susie Blum Connors said Monday. She and Jimmy celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary at a political rally. For a change, Susie was the one on stage, advocating for women’s reproductive rights.
A week later, Jimmy took his goodbye bow. He was 77 and fondly remembered by friend and foe alike as Scranton’s most devoted promoter. June 26 will mark the first anniversary of his death. On Sunday, Susie and a diverse bill of bands and entertainers will celebrate Jimmy’s love of live music, particularly at Nay Aug.
“Sunday would be a year from the last time he was at Nay Aug for a concert,” Susie said. Jimmy died in his sleep three days later. It’s still strange to think of Scranton without its biggest cheerleader or concerts at Nay Aug without “Jimmy B. Goode.”
When I reached out to Susie, she and renowned bassist and band leader Doug Smith were headed to shoot a television promotion for the event. Doug is a board member and past vice president of Scranton Local 120 of the American Federation of Musicians. Jimmy loved unions, especially those that can carry a tune.
Jimmy was an unapologetic throwback to a time when political rivals could compete fiercely but remain friends and respect the results with grace and humility. He was never a boastful winner or a sore loser, no matter how wide the margins.
Even after leaving office, Jimmy served as the city’s honorary mayor. No one was better at “grip-and-grin” politics, and Jimmy often mused about mounting a comeback campaign. His impeccable people skills endeared him to friends and infuriated foes. Doug shared a memory of Jimmy having a good-natured laugh at their expense at a long-ago Nay Aug concert.
“We had a Ferris wheel set up across from the Everhart Museum,” he said. “It kind of went right up into the trees, and it was really pretty. Jimmy said to me, ‘My political opponents would like nothing better than to see that Ferris wheel fall off and roll all the way down Mulberry Street and into the Globe Store.’ Jimmy had a great sense of humor.”
He did, and it’s what I miss most about him. I relentlessly – and often unfairly – criticized Jimmy’s performance as mayor in the pages of this newspaper, but he never took it personally. Jimmy always laughed it off and extended his hand. He was the better man, and I am better for his friendship.
On Sunday, a bench adorned with a plaque will be dedicated to Jimmy, who would gush to know the longstanding seasonal staple is being rebranded as the Jimmy Connors Summer Concert Series. The celebration is free to the public and will kick off at 1 p.m. with a set by the Doug Smith Band with Tara Michel, followed by Magic Moments with Paulette Costa at 2:15; a dedication ceremony at 3:15; The Taxmen at 3:30; and The Broke Pines at 4:45. Other attractions include balloon art by Barbara Callahan, “Mentalist” John Graham and Damien the Magician.
The event, sponsored by the DeNaples Family and Minooka Subaru, will feature food trucks and free ice cream courtesy of Fidelity Bank, but people are free to bring their own food and drink – but no alcohol. Leave the booze at home. Bring a lawn chair and your dancing shoes.
“Jimmy B. Goode” will be sorely missed, but Susie said he would be proud and excited to see The Broke Pines take the stage. Their son, David, plays bass in the band, which Doug described as “original country-infused rock.” Jimmy and Susie’s son-in-law, Matt Hemphill, will sit in on drums.
“Jimmy rarely missed the Sunday concerts in the summer,” Susie said. “That was what we did, and anywhere he went, even when he wasn’t in office, he was still the mayor. Right now we’re praying for good weather, because it’s been rough so far this summer.”
Call me sentimental, but I can picture the city’s most devoted promoter lobbying a higher power for sunshine over Scranton.
Chris Kelly (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE)
CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, grins every time he hears “Johnny B. Goode.” Contact the writer: ckelly@scrantontimes.com; @cjkink on X; Chris Kelly, The Times-Tribune on Facebook.