By Matthew Reichbach
Former State Senator Bill O’Neill, a long-time legislator and poet, passed away recently.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported O’Neill died after a battle with cancer. He was 68.
His former colleagues in the state legislature, where he served three four-year terms in the Senate and two two-year terms in the House representing Albuquerque’s North Valley, remembered O’Neill.
“Senator O’Neill could be counted on to look out for the underdog and keep a cool head, no matter how heated conversations became,” the Senate Democratic caucus said in a statement of O’Neill’s time in the Roundhouse. “New Mexico is a better place because of his service and the legislation he carried.”
The Democratic Party of New Mexico said he had a “legendary legislative career.”
“Not just Democrats, but every New Mexican owes Senator O’Neill their gratitude for his representation and advocacy,” the party said in a statement. “Bill O’Neill leaves behind an impressive legacy that combines art and policy and will be remembered for all his meaningful work and being an overall cool guy.”
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller also remembered O’Neill. Keller called O’Neill “a contrarian in the best way, carving his own path in life that included some little-known prowess in sports.”
O’Neill was an annual fixture first for the House and then the Senate in the annual Hoops 4 Hope charity House vs. Senate basketball game, which benefited cancer research.
During his time in the Roundhouse, O’Neill was known as a staunch progressive. O’Neill lost in the Democratic primary for a fourth state senate term in 2024.
God bless the family of Bill O’Neill, he was a good legislator, and person, he will be missed