Mayor O'Connor dies (Pittsburgh's Mayor)

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

Mayor O'Connor dies
Friday, September 01, 2006

By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor died at 8:55 p.m. tonight at UPMC Shadyside Hospital, where he was being treated for brain cancer.


City Council President Luke Ravenstahl was to be sworn in as mayor at 10:30 p.m., said Dick Skrinjar, the mayor's communications director.


Mr. O'Connor's family was at his side when he passed away, Mr. Skrinjar said.

:cry: This is so sad. He was a great guy and was on his way to being a great mayor.

[AnnieBW]

1. I'm In Town Right Now

to visit my family, and I just heard the news. What a shame. :(

[Gormy Cuss]

2. Dupe.

Brain cancer is terrible. What a shame.

[DianaForRussFeingold]

3. He was a Great Mayor! He Will be Missed!

:cry: Pittsburgh is one sad town! :grouphug:

[Freedomofspeech]

4. We live about 40 miles...

Southeast of the city. We are all so saddened by this, we all believed he would do so much for Pittsburgh. He was such a gentleman.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

5. I cry for the man. I cry for his family. I cry for my city.

I cry for the loss of great potential.

The local news is showing pictures of him personally walking kids across the street in the crosswalk to school. He was a hands-on mayor and being mayor of Pittsburgh was his dream. He only got to do it for 6 months before his diagnosis of a rare form of treatment resistant cancer. Once diagnosed 2 months ago, he never got to leave the hospital...it was that lethal and quick.

:cry:

[sugapablo]

6. [Pittsburgh] Mayor O'Connor dies

Friday, September 01, 2006
By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor died at 8:55 p.m. tonight at UPMC Shadyside Hospital, where he was being treated for brain cancer.

City Council President Luke Ravenstahl was to be sworn in as mayor at 10:30 p.m., said Dick Skrinjar, the mayor's communications director.

Mr. O'Connor's family was at his side when he passed away, Mr. Skrinjar said.


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06244/718427-100.stm

[sugapablo]

7. More details

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06244/718426-53.stm

[I Have A Dream]

8. That's too bad. It was such a sudden thing to happen out of the blue...

the way that it did. He hadn't really even gotten started as mayor.

Rest in peace, Mayor O'Connor.

:(

[laylah]

9. I have never heard

of him nor do I know his politics; however, may he rest peacefully now and may his close ones also know peace.

Jenn

[Freedomofspeech]

10. He was a darn good

Democrat!! What a loss to our great city.

[qanda]

11. I'm so sad about this

I've been following his illness and was praying that he would beat this.

[femmocrat]

12. Life is so unfair, isn't it? He finally realized his dream and

we never got to realize his full potential. What a great loss for the city.

Best wishes to the new Mayor, Luke Ravenstahl. He needs all of our support now.

[The Wielding Truth]

16. Maybe he just burned too brightly and too warmly.

Maybe he cared more about individual respect, and loved serving too much.

Maybe really progressive leaders will make our lives too pleasant.

Maybe this sad illness was his mission, to inspire someone to find the cure.

Maybe there is another O'Connor spirit ready to occupy his space here on earth.

Maybe. No matter now....
Thanks for being a Great Democratic Mayor,Bob O'Connor!

[Ignacio Upton]

19. Ravenstahl is only 26!

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/politics/15422481.htm

It will be interesting to see how Ravenstahl does, and if he can carry on O'Connor's vision for Pittsburgh.

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

23. I don't anticipate much in the way of change

1) Change comes about at a evolutionary rate here, not revolutionary.
2) Ravenstahl is not part of the establishment. As such, if he wants to run the city, he will first need to prove himself politically with the old guard that is still in place.

Ravenstahl does, however, represent an opportunity for the residents of Pittsburgh. Ravenstahl is an outsider from the Democratic Machine, and as such, he has the potential to introduce a newer, more vibrant voter block to the Democratic side.

DBDB

[distantearlywarning]

13. The whole city is in mourning tonight.

This is a very sad thing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, and with young Luke Ravenstahl, who has a tough job ahead of him now.

[BlueInPhilly]

14. My prayers and condolences

to the O'Connors and to the Pittsburghers. We lost a great Democrat. May he rest in peace.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

15. How sad...

My heart goes out to Pittsburgh DUers especially...

[The Wielding Truth]

17. Keep kicked. He was what others should aspire to.

[wisteria]

18. Why does it always seem the good die young? RIP Mayor. n/t

[fortyfeetunder]

20. Gone but definitely not forgotten.

He may be gone, but we still can carry the torch for him.

[bleedingheart]

21. the entire region feels cheated, Bob was starting to show signs

of being a great mayor for the city and then we lose him, his family loses him...

My sympathies to his family.

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

22. Mayor O'Connor accomplished some really good things

in a short amount of time.

I live in Greenfield, not far from where he was born and not far from where his family lives.

The guy was Greenfield. He was Pittsbburgh. He was hard working. He was a man of the people.

Bob O'Connor may have had a tenure and life cut far to short, but he accomplished something meaningful in a short amount of time.

Bob O'Connor and the councilman who took his City Council seat, Doug Shields, knew all the drug players in Greenfield. They knew the dealers, they knew the users. They met with the residents and heard the stories. They met with the Chief of Police before O'Connor even took office and gave him all the information and asked him to act on it. He gave a myriad of reasons why he couldn't. The Chief of Police was replaced not long after O'Connor took office. He meant what he said, and he managed to increase patrols and undercover activity in one of the most drug infested areas of the city. Our neighborhood is a little safer thanks to Bob O'Connor. This is just one example.

When the City Public Schools announced their realignment, one thing the Superintendent did was meet with the Mayor and City Council. The specific request was for beefed up patrols and cleanup around schools. This was promised, and it was done, even after Mayor O'Connor fell ill.

Many called O'Connor the Optimist in Chief, but he did lead many of us to more of a sense of pride in our city. Even as silly as his "Redd Up Pittsburgh" campaign was for the All Star Game, downtown was barely recognizable without the layer of dirt and refuse strewn all over the streets as it used to be. It never looked better, and it gave our residents a glimpse of what we could have if we tried.

My hat is off to him, and my condolences to his family.

DBDB

[Dulcinea]

24. What a shame.

My deepest condolences to his family & all Pittsburgh area residents. When visiting family up there in July, I heard about Mayor O'Connor & the things he wanted to do. RIP.

Dulcinea
former Monroeville resident

[The Wielding Truth]

25. "Man of the People", not a slogan. He was!

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/mayor/&h=192&w=145&sz=14&hl=en&start=3&tbnid=kd_hZs-Gisg29M:&tbnh=103&tbnw=78&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2Bmayor%2BBob%2BO%2527Connor%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG

[The Wielding Truth]

26. Kicked for BOB!

:patriot:

[PittPoliSci]

27. Far too soon...

He will be missed...by his family and the entire city.

[OzarkDem]

28. RIP Mayor O'Connor

Prayers to him and his family.

We must find a cure for this disease.

[JVS]

29. My deepest condolences to yinz!