What a good, decent man.

Bill O'Neill was a politician, and proud to say so.
A saloonkeeper by training, he didn't market himself, he didn't brand himself, he did what he thought was right.
That doesn't mean everything he did was right, but if he, after careful consideration, believed it was, then so be it.
Once upon a time, it was that simple.

Bill O'Neill was the only politician I ever developed a personal relationship with.
Years ago, the governor would host a Christmas party for the media. One year, for some reason, Bill and Nikki O'Neill asked my wife Kathy and me to hang around after everyone else left.
Why? They liked us well enough. That's all. No strings attached.
And we liked Bill and Nikki, too. No strings attached. We socialized from time to time, and enjoyed each other's company.

His only regret? That he smoked. Chronic emphysema led to his death Saturday at the age of 77.
At the many charitable events that I would see Bill and Nikki O'Neill, I would join her for a cigarette.
It was Bill O'Neill's declining health that prompted me to quit smoking. I would try, fail, try, and fail again. But with Bill O'Neill (on oxygen) in the back of my mind, I would try again. I think I've succeeded this time. I hope I have.

And my regret is that, despite the urging of his longtime friend Al Lane, assigned to his detail by the State Police, I never sat down for an extended retrospective of his career with him. We scheduled and postponed a couple of times, but never got it done.

Bill O'Neill, as he left office, vowed he would simply "fade away."
And you know what? He did.
Because, after careful consideration, he thought it was the right thing to do.

He was the last of his kind. Too bad for us.