Judge Bill O'Neill's
lifelong commitment to public service to northeast Ohioans began with
distinguished service in the United States Army in his twenties and
stretches to his recent work as one of the most respected appellate
judges in the state. In June 2007, he bid farewell to the Ohio Court of
Appeals to pursue the privilege of serving northeast Ohio's citizens as
their representative to the U.S. Congress. Bill's track record speaks
for itself.
Service to Country - The Courage of a Soldier
In 1969, Bill O'Neill graduated from Ohio University with a degree in journalism and within three weeks found himself on active duty as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. He earned the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal for his service in Vietnam.
Some years later, at home in Ohio, Bill signed on with the Army National Guard, becoming Commanding Officer of the
Painesville unit. Compelling service in the blizzards of 1977 and 1978 won him the Army's Humanitarian Service Award. His last military assignment took him to Atlanta as Chief Legal Officer for the armed forces providing security at the 1996 Olympic Games. Lieutenant Colonel William O'Neill proudlyretired from the Ohio National Guard in 2001.
Service to Community - The Wisdom of a Judge
Upon his return from Vietnam, Bill immersed himself in the community as a reporter for The Sandusky Register and subsequently for WLW-T Channel 4 in Columbus. Eventually his path led him out of public journalism to serve citizen groups first as the Director of Communications for the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association and, after multiple mergers, as the Assistant Director of Council 4455, Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO.
With the support of the G.I. Bill, in 1977 Bill followed the call to leave his work in union organizing in order to further his education at Cleveland State University's John Marshall School of Law. Following graduation, Bill hung out his shingle at a storefront in the town of Geneva. Not long after in 1984, Attorney General Anthony Celebrezze hired Bill as an Assistant Attorney General. In that capacity, Bill enthusiastically represented the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and the Industrial Commission of Ohio fighting for civil rights and the rights of workers in the ten-county area he served for 12 years.
On another front, Bill donned body armor to accompany the Cleveland Police SWAT Team in his capacity as a lawyer as they boarded up drug houses under the authority of Attorney General Lee Fisher's award-winning anti-drug initiative, "Operation Crackdown".
The people first elected William O'Neill to Ohio's 11th District Court of Appeals in 1996. Believing that no honest judge should ever be beholden to any one constituent more than any other, Bill organized that judicial campaign around the notion that "Money and Judges Don't Mix." By choice, he imposed a contribution limit of $10 per person, an approach well respected by the legal community. Despite huge monetary expenditures by his opponent, Bill received the endorsement of nearly every major newspaper in the five-county district in addition to overwhelming efforts by the forces of organized labor. This support, combined with Bill's good-natured wit and intelligence, won him the post.
By the time Judge O'Neill stood for re-election in 2002, he had decided nearly 2,000 cases at the appellate level and was in his second leadership term as the Presiding Judge of the 11th Appellate District. The second campaign ran on principles identical to the first, and again Bill emerged victorious.
In 2004 and 2006, Judge O'Neill set his sights on bringing the same issues of judiciary integrity to the Ohio Supreme Court. Once again limiting contributions in order to preserve the impartiality of the judicial bench, Bill declared that he would take "no money from nobody" in 2006. Judge O'Neill and his hard-working volunteers received national press when they printed more than 400,000 pieces of literature on a used printing press in his basement. Despite being outspent by his opponent by more than $2 million, Judge O'Neill won widespread support from the press, the legal community and everyday Ohioans, earning himself 1.4 million votes.
Service to People - The Passion of a Nurse
Bill enjoys life as a "family man." Sadly, the mother of his children died in an automobile accident in 1995. Even through these tough times, Bill rose to the occasion and raised their children on his own, and now finds himself the father of four wonderful young adults. He considers parenting them his highest accomplishment and is proud of their achievements. All attended Chagrin Falls public schools through high school, and Bill enjoyed many an hour as their athletic coach and all-around supporter.
With his own children rapidly outgrowing childhood, at the age of 50, Bill returned to school in pursuit of another dream. Now a registered nurse, Bill works evenings and weekends caring for ill and injured children in the Pediatric Emergency Department of Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights. This work on behalf of kids is not only satisfying intellectually and personally for Bill; it has provided him with direct insight into one of the United States' most pressing struggles right now, that of providing excellent health care to all our citizens.
Full Circle - Passion, Wisdom and Courage Come Together
Clearly, Bill O'Neill's diverse experiences give him a uniquely informed perspective on northeast Ohio, on our nation, and on the world. His view that our United States is "on the wrong course" is one many citizens of Ohio's 14th congressional district share. As an appellate judge, Bill took pride in combining fidelity to the law, thoughtful creativity, good humor, and common sense in order to provide effective, fair solutions tailored to complex legal situations. He looks forward to bringing the same creativity, commitment to justice and equality, and knowledge of our Constitution to the work of the United States House of Representatives - the work of forging a stable, healthy future for our nation and his neighbors.