Maureen C. O'Connell (born May 23, 1950) is the County Clerk of

Nassau County, New York Nassau County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. At the 2020 U.S. census, Nassau County's population is 1,395,774. The county seat is Mineola and the largest town is Hempstead. Nassau County is situated on western Long Isl ...

, an adjunct faculty member of the

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

School of Nursing, and a member of the School of Nursing Advisory Boards of

Nassau Community College Nassau Community College (NCC) is a public community college in Uniondale, New York, using the Garden City, New York ZIP Code. It was founded in 1959 and is part of the State University of New York. History Nassau Community College was crea ...

Molloy College Molloy University is a private Roman Catholic university in Rockville Centre, New York. It provides more than 50 academic undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs for over 5,000 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. His ...

, and

State University of New York at Farmingdale The State University of New York at Farmingdale (Farmingdale State College or SUNY Farmingdale) is a public college in East Farmingdale, New York. It is part of the State University of New York. The college was chartered in 1912 as a school of ap ...

Education

O'Connell attended Mineola High School. A registered nurse, she is a graduate of the

Flushing Hospital Flushing Hospital Medical Center (also known as Flushing Hospital) is one of the oldest hospitals in New York City. It survived a 1999 bankruptcy and subsequently affiliated first with the New York Presbyterian Hospital and then with the MediSys ...

and Medical Center School of Nursing and holds a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

in Health Care Administration from St. Joseph's College. O'Connell is also an attorney, with a Juris Doctor from St. John's University School of Law.

Political career

O'Connell served as a

Trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...

and as Deputy Mayor of the Village of East Williston from 1991 through 1998. Prior to her taking office as County Clerk on January 1, 2006, O'Connell served as the first woman to be sent by the 17th District to the New York State Assembly, where she served as ranking member of the Assembly's Health Committee and on the Judiciary, Insurance and Ethics Committees. She was also a member of the Sexual Assault and Violence Education (S.A.V.E.) taskforce on

sex crimes Sex and the law deals with the regulation by law of human sexual activity. Sex laws vary from one place or jurisdiction to another, and have varied over time. Unlawful sexual acts are called sex crimes. Some laws regarding sexual activity are ...

and

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often con ...

and children. She serves on the board of directors of the St. John's University School of Law Alumni Association and the Maternity & Early Childhood Foundation. In January 2007, O'Connell was selected as the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

, and

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

candidate for the open 7th State Senatorial District in a special election, called by Governor Eliot Spitzer to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Senator Michael A.L. Balboni. Her opponent was

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Craig Johnson, a County Legislator who was strongly endorsed by former governor Eliot Spitzer. The polls closed February 6, 2007 with Johnson defeating O'Connell.

Personal life

O'Connell lives in East Williston with her husband Don. They have one son.

New York State election results

* November 1998 general election, NYS Assembly, 17th AD : * November 2000 general election, NYS Assembly, 17th AD : * November 2002 general election, NYS Assembly, 17th AD : * November 2004 general election, NYS Assembly, 17th AD : * February 2007

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, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

, NYS Senate, 7th SD :

References

External links

Office of the Nassau County Clerk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Maureen 1950 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) American nurses American women nurses Farmingdale State College Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly People from East Williston, New York St. Joseph's College (New York) alumni St. John's University School of Law alumni Women state legislators in New York (state)