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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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| Name | Robert E. "Bob" O'Connor Jr. |
| Address |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | [Link] |
| Born |
December 09, 1944
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| Died | September 01, 2006
(61 years)
|
| Contributor | Ben |
| Last Modifed | Old LW
Dec 09, 2006 07:17pm |
| Tags |
Irish - Married - Cancer - Catholic - Straight -
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| Info | A true son of Pittsburgh, Bob O'Connor has succeeded in both the public and private sectors. His real-life business experience and public sector skills at relationship building have worked together to create a successful leadership style that has produced results for over three decades. In March of 2003, Governor Ed Rendell asked Bob to be his Director of the Southwest Pennsylvania Regional Office. Rendell appointed Bob to this top Commonwealth administration position to tap his skills to build the relationships with Harrisburg needed to meet the needs of over 5 million people in 16 Counties.
Prior to entering public service, O'Connor prospered in private industry as Vice President of Operations for Pappan Enterprises, a franchise of Marriott Corporation. He managed 36 restaurants in Allegheny County and more than 1000 employees over a successful 20 year career of putting the customer first by finding the right people to provide the right service.
O'Connor's public service career began in 1992 when he took up the fight to stop fiscal polices he warned would "lead to a path of financial ruin." His city council leadership style earned him the reputation as the "cost conscious councilman" who fought mismanagement and waste of taxpayer dollars. His skill at bringing people together and commonsense approach made him the "go-to-guy" when things needed to get done. His concern that the city was headed in the wrong direction prompted mayoral runs in 1997 and 2001.
As council president, O'Connor consistently improved the way government could be used in practical, cost-effective ways to serve the needs of local neighborhoods. His financial strategy for public/private partnerships saved the Pittsburgh Zoo, Phipps Conservatory, Schenley Golf Course, and the Aviary. Bob introduced a unified tax to replace the unfair two-tier system for property assessment and created performance audits that discovered under reporting of tax revenues by operators of private parking lots in the City of Pittsburgh. He also reduced natural gas consumption costs to consumers by 10% with a choice program, saved the city substantial sums of money by requiring all insurance contracts be competitively bid and instituted monthly independent reviews of cash disbursements as a member of the Public Auditorium Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. O'Connor saved Pittsburgh taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars gas purchases for city-owned cars and trucks, including police vehicles.
With a true son of Pittsburgh commitment to his hometown, Bob is an active civic leader lending his time and talents to a variety of civic, community and charitable organizations. He has served on the Board of Directors of Carnegie-Mellon University, Gateway Rehabilitation Institute, the Sudden Infant death Syndrome Alliance, The Caring Foundation and Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall,
Bob and his wife, Judy, live in Squirrel Hill in the same house they moved into after being married 38 years ago. They have three children - Heidy, the mother of their three granddaughters; Father Terry, a Diocesan priest; and Corey, a student at Duquesne University.
Bob O'Connor lost his battle with brain cancer, and passed away on September 1, 2006.
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