Latest news with #BillO'Neill
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former state Senator Bill O'Neill dies at 68
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A powerhouse politician who served in the Roundhouse for 15 years died on Monday after a fight with cancer. Senate Democrats announced the passing of their former colleague, 68-year-old Bill O'Neill. He first served in the New Mexico House in 2009, representing Albuquerque's North Valley. O'Neill worked his way up to the Senate, where he served until last year. Story continues below Community: NMSP confirms body of 16-year-old recovered from Cochiti Lake Don't Miss: New Mexico judge weighs request to withhold Gene Hackman death records Crime: VIDEO – Albuquerque Tesla Cybertruck vandalized He was a legislative champion for criminal justice reform, including prohibiting life sentences for juveniles. Politics wasn't his only passion; O'Neill also had a love for the arts, even writing plays about the profession. KRQE News 13 spoke to him back in 2022 where he said his plays were meant to bridge the political divide. 'My dad, bless his heart, he was a hard core republican, and he never understood why I ended up as a Democrat, but we all respected each other, we had these great talks, you know, it was a different time, so we just have to get back to that…the key is respect, and to the degree that this play kind of moves this forward, that's a good thing,' said O'Neill. In a statement, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller mourned O'Neill, saying he was a 'poetic public servant' who left his mark on New Mexico. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Policymakers mourn death of former state Sen. Bill O'Neill
New Mexico lawmakers and other political leaders on Monday mourned the death of former state Sen. Bill O'Neill, lauding his humanitarian efforts and advocacy, as well as his creative pursuits. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller called O'Neill — a published poet, novelist and playwright — the state's "poet public servant." O'Neill, who was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer more than a year ago, died Monday at age 68. "He leaves his own special mark on all who worked with him and on the many New Mexicans who he helped," Keller said in a statement. Born in rural Ohio, O'Neill's path to New Mexico politics was a winding one. As he told Pasatiempo's Ania Hull in late 2024, that path involved stints playing football at Cornell University, working on an asphalt crew, hopping freight trains in Montana and, ultimately, serving Albuquerque's incarcerated and homeless populations. He was instrumental in establishing Dismas House, a residential program in Albuquerque that helps men on parole reintegrate into their communities. U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., remembered O'Neill in a statement Monday as "a poet, a playwright, a legislator, a humanitarian and a proud college footballer." "For those who knew Bill, he loved to share a good story and a good laugh," Stansbury said. "And as a fellow Cornelian, he was always ready to regale you with a good old Big Red football story." O'Neill, a Democrat, served Albuquerque's North Valley in the state House of Representatives from 2009 to 2013. He represented the area in the state Senate from 2013 through 2024. During his time in the Legislature, he championed major legislative reforms to New Mexico's juvenile justice system, including prohibiting life sentences for young offenders. He fought for bills that created geriatric and medical parole procedures and prohibited private employers from inquiring about criminal convictions on initial employment applications. In a statement posted on social media Monday, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman called O'Neill "a true renaissance man" and a "fearless" advocate for his chosen causes, including criminal justice reform. "I was fortunate to call Bill a friend, and his presence will be deeply missed," Bregman wrote. The state Senate Democratic Caucus issued a joint statement on O'Neill, saying, "His legacy will be remembered through the countless lives he touched and the policies he advocated through his dedicated service in the Legislature." On occasion, O'Neill's two worlds intermingled: Among his legislative achievements was the establishment of the New Mexico Poet Laureate program, which now serves as a model for other states to emulate. "Senator Bill O'Neill lived a life many of us only dream of living," House Speaker Javier Martínez wrote Monday in a memorial Facebook post, recalling tales of the former senator's days playing college football and train-hopping, fighting for second chances for people after incarceration and penning poems. "He was a man without an ego," Martínez wrote. "He was a man who loved public service."
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former NM state senator Bill O'Neill dies following cancer battle
Mar. 31—SANTA FE — Former New Mexico legislator Bill O'Neill, an Albuquerque Democrat who pushed to make it easier for released inmates to land jobs and was fond of reading his Roundhouse-inspired poetry to colleagues, died Monday after a battle with cancer. His death Monday at a Santa Fe hopsital prompted an outpouring of condolences, including from Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland. Sen. Antonio "Moe" Maestas, D-Albuquerque, who served with O'Neill in both the House and Senate, said O'Neill was loved by constituents and colleagues alike. "He fought passionately for what he believed in while remaining authentic the entire time," said Maestas, who cited O'Neill's efforts to reduce recidivism by pushing bills removing barriers for formerly incarcerated individuals to get work after being released. The former founder of a halfway house for individuals released on parole, O'Neill was first elected to an Albuquerque-based state House seat in 2008. After four years in the House, he won election to an open state Senate seat in 2012 and held the seat until the end of last year, after losing his primary election race to fellow Democrat Debbie O'Malley. During his time in the Legislature, O'Neill focused much of his attention on parole-related legislation, including a 2019 bill expanding a "ban the box" law that bars employers from asking job applicants right off the bat about criminal convictions. "Nothing's more important than a good job, and it's oftentimes hard to coax this population into believing they could even have a chance," O'Neill said in 2016 about the issue. But he also championed legislation seeking to make it easier for independent voters to cast ballots in New Mexico primary elections without having to change their party affiliations. While he was not successful in getting such legislation to the governor's desk, lawmakers did pass such a bill during this year's 60-day session. An Ohio native, O'Neill played football for Cornell University and was a regular participant in the annual legislative charity basketball game. Before winning election to the Legislature, he was appointed as executive director of New Mexico's juvenile parole board by then-Gov. Bill Richardson in 2005. O'Neill also authored several collections of poetries and books, including the 2021 novel "Short Session" that featured a state senator as the book's protagonist. He also wrote a one-act play called "Save the Bees" that focused on partisan pressures and was based on his friendship with former state Sen. Cliff Pirtle, a Roswell Republican. "His willingness to share the essence of serving in the Legislature through his gift with words was always appreciated and will be greatly missed by his Senate colleagues," the Senate Democratic caucus said in a Monday statement. Keller, who served with O'Neill in the Senate, described his former colleague Monday as "our poet public servant." "I'm grateful to have worked with him for 20 years, and he always brought an eccentric charm and wit to every conversation," Keller said in a statement. No details on memorial services for O'Neill had been announced as of late Monday.
