Martin Bradshaw Flynn Jr. (born September 18, 1975) is an American politician. He is a member of the
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...
and he previously served in the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
It ...
. Flynn is a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
.
Flynn graduated from
Scranton Preparatory School
Scranton Preparatory School is a co-educational Jesuit high school located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States.
History
Scranton Prep opened its doors in 1944. At the request of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton and of Catholic families ...
and
Marywood University
Marywood University is a private Catholic university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Established in 1915 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marywood currently enrolls more than 2,800 students in a variety of undergraduate, gradu ...
before becoming a
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
and
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
fighter. Flynn worked as a
prison guard
A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...
before winning election to the Pennsylvania House to represent the
113th district in 2012. In 2021, Flynn won a
special election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...
to represent the
22nd district of the Pennsylvania Senate.
Early life and career
Martin Bradshaw Flynn Jr. is from
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...
. He attended
Scranton Preparatory School
Scranton Preparatory School is a co-educational Jesuit high school located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States.
History
Scranton Prep opened its doors in 1944. At the request of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton and of Catholic families ...
, and graduated in 1994. While at Scranton Prep, he played football, basketball, and baseball. Flynn enrolled at the
University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took t ...
, and transferred to
Marywood University
Marywood University is a private Catholic university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Established in 1915 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marywood currently enrolls more than 2,800 students in a variety of undergraduate, gradu ...
. He graduated from Marywood with a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in legal studies in 1999.
While he attended Marywood, Flynn became involved in boxing. He received a scholarship from
USA Boxing
USA Boxing is the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing. It is overseen by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Boxing Association (AIBA), which sets its rules.
Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, USA Boxing i ...
. Flynn competed in the
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States, where they are awarded a belt and a ring. And the title of nations champion is awarded. The Golden Gloves is a term used to refer to the Nation ...
, and won the Pennsylvania Golden Gloves in the Novice division in 1997.
[ He commuted from Scranton to ]North Philadelphia
North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is immediately north of Center City. Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is regarded as everything north of either ...
to train at a gym where he became the sparring
Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively ' free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to minimize injuries. By extension, argumentative debate ...
partner for Bernard Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins Jr. (born January 15, 1965) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2016. He is one of the most successful boxers of the past three decades, having held multiple world championships in two weight class ...
while Hopkins trained for fights against Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya ( , ; born on February 4, 1973) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2008. His accolades include winning 11 world titles in six weight classes, including the lineal championshi ...
and Félix Trinidad
Félix Juan Trinidad García (born January 10, 1973), popularly known as "Tito" Trinidad, is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who competed from 1990 to 2008. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes and is said to b ...
. Flynn turned professional in the middleweight
Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional
In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to .
Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
division in 2000.[ Hopkins co-managed Flynn. Flynn won his first seven fights and retired from boxing with a 10–2 record, including five ]knockout
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
s, between 2001 and 2007. A broken elbow and a separated shoulder kept him from fighting from 2003 to 2006. He debuted in amateur mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
in 2009. He also coached the wrestling team at Scranton Prep.
Flynn became a prison guard
A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...
at the Lackawanna County
Lackawanna County (; unm, Lèkaohane) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had a population of 215,896 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Scranton.
The county ...
Prison in August 2002. In September 2007, he was promoted to inmate education and program coordinator. Flynn also served as chairman of the prison misconduct board. Flynn also owned a bar from 2002 through 2009 and was co-owner of a paving company from 2004 to 2012.
Political career
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In January 2012, Flynn announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
's primary election
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...
for the 113th legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
It ...
, challenging incumbent Representative Kevin P. Murphy
Kevin P. Murphy (born 1965) is a former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. As a freshman legislator, he regularly worked at his district office's unique drive-through window designed to speed constituent service.
...
. After a complaint was filed with the United States Office of Special Counsel
The United States Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is a permanent independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency whose basic legislative authority comes from four federal statutes: the Civil Service Reform Act, the Whistleblower Prot ...
alleging that Flynn's candidacy and government employment constituted a violation of the Hatch Act
The Hatch Act of 1939, An Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities, is a United States federal law. Its main provision prohibits civil service employees in the executive branch of the federal government, except the president and vice pre ...
, an attorney from the office informed Flynn that he was in violation and needed to choose between his job and his candidacy. Flynn resigned his position with the Lackawanna County Prison and continued his candidacy. In the April primary election, Flynn defeated Murphy with 4,306 votes to 4,065 (51.4% to 48.6%). He was not opposed by a Republican Party candidate in the November general election. Flynn was sworn into office on January 1, 2013. He was assigned to the House Aging and Older Adult Services, Commerce, and State Government committees.
Flynn faced a primary challenge in 2014 from Scranton truck driver Lee Morgan. Flynn defeated Morgan with 80% of the vote in May 2014 and won a second term in November 2014 with 75% of the vote against Republican Marcel Lisi. Flynn co-sponsored a bill to legalize industrial hemp
Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...
in 2015. He won a third term in 2016 against Republican David Burgerhoff with 69% of the vote (18,561 versus 8,223). Flynn was reelected without opposition when he ran for his fourth term in 2018. He defeated Republican William Kresge in the 2020 election, receiving 68.1% of votes cast.
Flynn served on the Regional Recovery Task Force of Lackawanna County during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. On May 9, 2020, Flynn posted retort against business owners who were criticizing Pennsylvania Democrats for their handling of the pandemic on his personal Facebook page, stating "Keep talking about how bad we Democrats are and WE will STOP supporting YOUR businesses. You want to make it PERSONAL and we WILL". After being criticized for his post, Flynn removed and apologized for the "juvenile" post and for taking the criticism personally.
Pennsylvania Senate
On February 14, 2021, Democratic State Senator John Blake announced he would be resigning as Senator of the 22nd senatorial district to take a position in the office of U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright
Matthew Alton Cartwright (born May 1, 1961) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative from Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district since 2013. The district, numbered as the 17th district from 2013 through 2019, inc ...
. Flynn and Representative Kyle Mullins
Kyle J. Mullins is an American politician. He is a Democrat representing District 112 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Political career
In 2018, Mullins ran to represent District 112 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, ...
of the 112th district both sought the Democratic nomination in the special election to succeed Blake. On March 13, Democrats held a special convention where members of the local Democratic Party committees selected a nominee. Flynn won the party's nomination by a vote of 206 to 118. In the special election, held on May 18, Flynn received 51.2% of the vote, defeating Republican Chris Chermak, a county commissioner
A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...
in Lackawanna County, who received 38.5%, while Marlene Sebastianelli of the Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
received 9.2% of the vote and Nathan Covington of the Libertarian Party
Active parties by country
Defunct parties by country
Organizations associated with Libertarian parties
See also
* Liberal parties by country
* List of libertarian organizations
* Lists of political parties
Lists of political part ...
received 1.1%.
Flynn was sworn in to the Senate on June 9. He was succeeded in the state house by Thom Welby
Thom Welby is an American politician and broadcaster. A Democrat, he served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 113th district from 2021 until 2022.
Career
Before working for Marty Flynn, Thom Welby worked in ...
, his former chief of staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
. In the state senate, Flynn is the minority chair of the finance committee, and serves on the appropriations, Community, Economic and Recreational Development, and Transportation committees. Following a report that the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) is an agency created in 1937 to construct, finance, operate, and maintain the Pennsylvania Turnpike (both the mainline and the Northeast Extension). The commission consists of five members. Four membe ...
failed to collect $104 million in unpaid tolls in 2020, Flynn, who serves as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Transportation Committee, filed legislation to reform their method of toll collection in January 2022. In February 2022, Flynn filed legislation that would allow judges to compel people convicted of driving under the influence
Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...
of having to pay child support
Child support (or child maintenance) is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child (or parent, caregiver, guardian) following the end of a marriage or other similar relationship. Child maintenance is paid d ...
for a child if their parent was killed by the drunk driver.
Personal life
Both Flynn's father and grandfather were boxers.[ In 2019, Flynn's partner, Kate Kochanski, gave birth to a daughter.
In August 2013, Flynn saw a man peeking in a window of a house in his neighborhood of West Scranton late at night. He approached the man, who ran. Flynn gave chase and caught him with the help of an off-duty police officer who Flynn alerted. The prowler was arrested.
On October 15, 2014, Flynn and Representative ]Ryan Bizzarro
Ryan A. Bizzarro (born ) is an American politician and member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and has represented the 3rd district since 2013. His district is located in Erie County and includes the townships of Millcreek and Fa ...
were near the Pennsylvania State Capitol
The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania located in downtown Harrisburg which was designed by architect Joseph Miller Huston in 1902 and completed in 1906 in a Beaux-Arts style with decorative ...
after having a late dinner when an assailant approached and demanded their wallets at gunpoint. Flynn said that he froze, but Bizzarro fidgeted, leading the assailant to draw on Bizzarro. He reached for his concealed pistol, a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380
The Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 is a compact semi-automatic pistol produced by Smith & Wesson chambered for the .380 ACP cartridge.
Design details
The frame of the Bodyguard 380 is made of polymer, while the barrel, slide and internal parts are ...
, and a spotter warned the assailant, who Flynn said shot at Bizzarro. Flynn fired two shots at the assailant. Nobody was injured and police nearby arrested four teenagers. After investigating the shooting, the Harrisburg Police Department said that Flynn acted appropriately.
Flynn had a loaded handgun, a SIG Sauer P229
Sig used as a name may refer to:
* Sig (given name)
*Sig, Algeria, a city on the banks of the Sig River
*Sig Alert, an alert for traffic congestion in California, named after Loyd Sigmon
*Sig River, a river of Algeria also known as Mekerra
sig (l ...
, stolen from his car in July 2021. Several days later, the gun was used in a shooting.
References
External links
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flynn, Martin
1975 births
Living people
Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators
Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Marywood University alumni
Businesspeople from Scranton, Pennsylvania
Politicians from Scranton, Pennsylvania
21st-century American politicians
Boxers from Pennsylvania
Mixed martial artists from Pennsylvania
American prison officers