There weren't many people in the world like John O'Connor, the environmental activist, author, and former congressional candidate who passed away after a massive heart attack while playing basketball last week near his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was 46.
Although O'Connor had been involved in numerous charitable organizations, he was not well known before he launched his campaign for the coveted and historic 8th Congressional District back in the spring of 1998.
But all that changed when he decided to run.
O'Connor campaigned for the seat formerly held by President John F. Kennedy and former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill for over six months that year and, despite spending over $3 million, came in fourth in a 10-candidate Democratic field.
During the campaign, I got to know John well.
O'Connor was articulate in his presentation, spirited in his convictions, humorous, and a lot of fun to be around. He showed people that even with the smallest effort, they really could effect change in their own communities and make a difference in another person's life.
While running for Congress, O'Connor was often accused of using his procured wealth to buy the congressional seat. But despite such criticism, he rolled with the punches and could find amusement in almost any situation.
In his own way, O'Connor was a maverick on the Massachusetts political scene. He supported reform-minded Democrats and progressive, independent candidates, regardless of a candidate's chance of winning. He put his money where his mouth was, whether the cause was popular or not.
Last year, O'Connor openly endorsed and raised money for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, while other progressive Democrats of his stature traveled to battleground states like New Hampshire to support Al Gore's ill-fated campaign. Of course, O'Connor was returning a favor, since Nader endorsed him in 1998. But they also had a history together.
O'Connor had founded the National Toxics Campaign in 1983 and both had worked to pass the Superfund Clean Up legislation, something that he will probably be most remembered for. But O'Connor was unique like that. He didn't worry about what people thought of him. He did what he felt was right, ignoring political expedience, which is such a rare quality in modern politics.
O'Connor was a noted author, writing two books on the environment, ''Getting the Lead Out'' and ''Who Owns the Sun?'' He worked as a director of the Irish Famine Memorial Committee, aided the Armenian genocide education efforts, and assisted activists in organizing unions. He single-handedly led the fight to stop deregulation of the electric utility industry here in Massachusetts. O'Connor was also active in a number of urban communities, working with Volunteers in Service to America, a government-funded organization created to end rural and urban poverty. He also used his wealth in a positive way, by donating books and school supplies to kids and inner city organizations. In the short time I knew him, almost every time he was asked to assist someone, he did.
How ironic that he should die last week while doing something he loved: playing basketball. He often would talk about his love of the sport. In the middle of the campaign for Congress, O'Connor even used his love of basketball in a television ad, challenging former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn, another candidate for the 8th seat and a former college basketball star himself, to play him one-on-one on the court. While some politicos saw the ad as frivolous and self-indulgent, most of us thought the ad was amusing, poking fun at the process. That was John.
Apparently, running for elected office was not out of his blood. In late 1999, O'Connor seriously considered a re-match against Michael Capuano, the former Somerville Mayor who won the 8th Congressional District seat in 1998, but later decided against it. A political website called dcpoliticalreport.com out of Washington, D.C. reported O'Connor was considering a run for the Treasurer's office in 2002. Democratic insiders had also floated his name as a possible candidate for Lt. Governor.
Still, at only 46, O'Connor was taken from us way too soon. There is still so much work to be done. Both he and his kind of activism will be missed.
Anthony Schinella was an independent candidate for the 8th Congressional District in 1998. He was also Ralph Nader's NH Coordinator in last year. He is currently a newspaper reporter with Community Newspaper Company in Boston, Mass. and is writing a book on political consultants. He can be reached at aschinella@aol.com
