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<\/p>\nPITTSBURGH \u2014 It has been 20 years since beloved Mayor Bob O\u2019Connor passed away. <\/p>\n
O\u2019Connor, who served on city council for more than a decade, ran for Mayor and finally won on his third attempt. <\/p>\n
But six months into office, he was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer. Two months later, he passed away at the age of 61. <\/p>\n
Chief Investigator Rick Earle has covered both O\u2019Connors. <\/p>\n
He sat down with Mayor Corey O\u2019Connor as he reflected on his father\u2019s legacy and impact on him and the city. <\/p>\n
Earle: He was a beloved figure in the city\u2019s history? <\/p>\n
Corey O\u2019Connor: He was, and I think every day I go in and you hear him talking to you, \u2018Oh, I would have done this\u2019 or \u2018I would have done that,\u2019 and it\u2019s, \u2018Don\u2019t second-guess me right now.\u2019 <\/p>\n
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O\u2019Connor remembered his dad, the late Mayor Bob O\u2019Connor, who became mayor in 2006, after serving more than a decade on city council. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the family picture that was taken over here on the inauguration,\u201d said Mayor O\u2019Connor as he showed Earle a picture of his family that was taken in the Mayor\u2019s office on inauguration day. The picture shows Bob O\u2019Connor along with his wife, Judy, who passed away two years ago, and their three children, including the youngest: Corey.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bob O\u2019Connor and Family (WPXI\/WPXI)<\/p>\n
He remembers the last conversation they had.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s lying in the bed, and I came in and said, \u2019Oh, you know, Bill Cowher might be leaving; this might be his last year. They won the Super Bowl, and this might be it,\u2019 and he says, \u2018Well, you coach Little League, it\u2019s the same thing,\u2019 and I was like, \u2018No, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s the same thing,\u2019 so he was still joking all the way through,\u201d said O\u2019Connor.<\/p>\n
The younger O\u2019Connor shared some of his fondest memories of his dad, like the time they golfed with legendary NBA star Michael Jordan. <\/p>\n
\u201cI actually beat him on the front nine\u2026and he went up to my dad and said, \u2018You know your kid beat me, can you bet?\u2019 and my dad was like, \u2018Yeah, what are we betting for?\u2019 He said five a hole, and my dad\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, five bucks,\u2019 and Jordan is like, \u2018No. Five thousand,\u2019 and my dad said \u2018I don\u2019t like my kid nearly enough to bet on him,\u2019” said Corey. <\/p>\n
The trip to the Steelers\u2019 Super Bowl win in Detroit, when a then-21-year-old Corey tagged along for a network television interview before the big game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sitting with FBI agents for security purposes, and they are like, \u2018So he\u2019s the Mayor, where\u2019s his security?\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018You\u2019re looking at him,\u2019 and they were like, \u2018Really?\u2019 and I\u2019m like, \u2018I\u2019m his son, we will be all right,\u2019\u201d said O\u2019Connor. <\/p>\n
After taking office in January, just months before the NFL draft, Corey O\u2019Connor brought back one of his father\u2019s most popular initiatives, the Redd Up Campaign. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe mention it often. It\u2019s time to Redd up; company is coming. That was sort of his vision: let\u2019s clean it up because people are coming to Pittsburgh,\u201d said O\u2019Connor, who had city work crews out sprucing up the city before the NFL Draft. <\/p>\n
O\u2019Connor says his father also taught him some important lessons about being mayor, like taking care of details, getting stuff done, and most importantly, meeting people face to face.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom seeing him do that, I try to do that as much as I can because it\u2019s not social media; it\u2019s actually interacting with your constituents, and the people of Pittsburgh are your number one priority, and I think the more I can remember his slogan, hopefully the better decisions we will ultimately make,\u201d said Corey.<\/p>\n
Corey O\u2019Connor says his dad would always tell him that there are a lot of politicians, but everyone knows who the mayor is.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Connor says he\u2019s quickly learning that his dad was right.<\/p>\n
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