 Connolly was sure he would have won had he been able to stand, a feeling which was reinforced after his comparatively inexperienced replacement as Labour candidate, councillor Russell Calvert came very close to winning against the incumbent Stuart Sidey.In 1965 he was elected once again to the Otago Harbour Board where he "topped the poll", receiving more votes than any other candidate.In 1968 he was elected to the Dunedin City Council.