Dan Halloran

Daniel J. Halloran III (born March 16, 1971) is a former member of the New York City Council and convicted felon.

The Village Voice described Halloran as "America's First Elected Heathen"; another Reconstructionist Neopagan adherent, Jessica Orsini (who is Hellenic), had previously been elected to the city council of Centralia, Missouri in 2006.

Halloran's religion became an issue during his campaign for a city council seat after it was revealed that he was an adherent of Theodism.

On his group's website, Halloran offered the following descriptions of his beliefs: "We believe in and honor the Gods and Goddesses of the North, spirits of the land, and the memories of our ancestors" and described his group as "a cultural, religious and martial organization; dedicated to reviving the folkways of the Norman peoples of Northern Europe."

Odin, Tyr and Freyr are among the deities worshipped by the group.

Halloran also stated that "It is our hope to reconstruct the pre-Christian religion of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European peoples, within a cultural framework and community environment."

When asked about his beliefs, Halloran said, "I was raised a Roman Catholic right here in Auburndale. I was baptized into the Catholic Church and took my confirmation at 13. I attended Jesuit schools. Then and now, faith is a cornerstone of my life."

Halloran served as legal counsel and incorporating attorney for the New York City Pagan Pride Project.

State Senator Frank Padavan stated that he felt Halloran's religion should not be an issue: "We have every religion under the sun in this district... It's all here; so what? As long as everybody is properly motivated, so be it."

These sentiments were echoed by the Queens County Republican Party chairman, Phil Ragusa, who additionally described Halloran as "a traditional person" and "a regular guy".

Halloran lectured and discussed his theology on a national level.

Halloran was elected to the New York City Council from the 19th district, in Queens, on November 3, 2009, succeeding Tony Avella, who made a failed bid to become the Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City.

He was endorsed by the Republican, Libertarian, Independence and Conservative parties.

He represented nearly 200,000 residents.

However, on election night, November 4, 2009, Halloran thanked his law partner, promising, "The next time you give me advice to take a website down, I'll do it", referring to the now defunct New Normandy website, which had contained "images of Halloran in medieval garb, hoisting drinking horns and other regalia that he [Halloran] had apparently found embarrassing."

In September 2010, he was named one of City Hall's "40 under 40" for being a young influential member of New York City politics.

Halloran sat on the Fire & Criminal Justice, Public Safety, Land Use (including Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses sub-committee), Public Housing, and Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Disability Services committees.

Halloran is a registered Republican, a fiscal conservative and libertarian.

He opposes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("ObamaCare").

He appeared as a regular commentator on the Strategy Room on Fox News where he discussed matters ranging from healthcare reform to government spending, off-shore oil exploration, and other conservative and libertarian principles.

He was purportedly asked to run for U.S. Congress in the 2010 election cycle in the 5th District of New York by Republican, Libertarian, and Conservative leaders.

Despite being courted by the NRCC and Representative Peter T. King to run, he withdrew from consideration, citing the economic crisis in the New York City and state budgets and the need to set the city's finances in order before he could consider taking on a run for any other office.

Dan Halloran became the first elected official in New York City to publicly criticize the Park51 (Cordoba House) project near Ground Zero of the World Trade Center site, stating, "If we want a nation of peace... then peace comes with understanding. And they need to understand that this is sacred ground to New Yorkers."

"New York City is the greatest city in the world [a place of religious tolerance, but that tolerance] starts when you say 'I understand your pain, and I am not going to inflict more on you.'

Halloran attracted widespread attention when he stated that five municipal employees had told him of a deliberate slowdown in clearing snow after a blizzard in December 2010.

The slowdown was allegedly organized to put Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a bad light.

His comments precipitated multiple criminal investigations.

However, the two workers he identified did not corroborate his story, and he refused to name the three others, citing alleged "attorney-client privilege".

Halloran's study of the Viking Age and field research in Ireland led him to develop an interest in Germanic paganism, and eventually to Theodism, which has attracted widespread attention.

He is a member of the New Normannii Reik, a branch of Heathenism.

The Village Voice reported on Halloran's two years in office in the paper's November 30 – December 6, 2011 edition in a report entitled "America's Top Heathen".

The report pointed out that when Halloran was elected in an off-year campaign, he was the "'First Atheling' or prince, of his own Theodish tribe, called New Normandy. He had 'thralls' who swore their allegiance to him... he led his flock, about 100 people at its height, in their polytheistic celebration of the gods".

On March 26, 2012 Halloran announced that he would campaign for a vacant US Representative seat in the newly redistricted 6th congressional district.

He was the only Republican nominee, and was cross-endorsed by the New York State Conservative Party and was their nominee.

He was also designated by the Libertarian Party at their state convention in April 2012.

He was indicted on corruption charges in 2013, did not run for reelection, was convicted in July 2014, and is currently back in the private sector on Long Island.

He was the first adherent of Theodism ever elected to the council and one of the first neo-Pagans to hold an elected office in the US.

Halloran was raised in a "traditional Irish household" and was a karaoke host and an attorney prior to running for office.

He earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from St. John's University Law School and a B.A. in history and anthropology from the City University of New York.

He worked in the New York City Police Department and several District Attorneys' offices before entering private practice as a lawyer in a firm with offices in Queens and Long Island.