O'Connell has been an Emera Mainelineworker for over thirty years. He was also a member of the Maine Air National Guard for twenty-four years, and his service included time in Iraq.[1] O'Connell is a member of IBEW Local #1837.[2]
Politics
O'Connell served as mayor of Brewer, Maine in 2013 and 2017. He also served on the Brewer city council and school board at various times.[1]
O'Connell ran in a special election for the 128th district in the Maine House of Representatives to fill the remainder of Democrat Arthur Verow's term,[3] who had died on December 19, 2019, of a heart attack.[4] He won the election, held on March 3, 2020, against Republican Garrel Craig, a former member of the House who had previously held that seat from 2016–2018.[3][1] O'Connell defeated Craig in a rematch for the regularly-scheduled 2020 election.[5]
In 2022, O'Connell ran in the redrawn 20th district, narrowly winning another term against Republican Jennifer Morin.[5]
In the legislature, O'Connell has advocated for restricting the practice of child marriage in Maine. He first introduced a bill to restrict child marriage in 2021, though it failed to pass the Maine Senate. In 2023, he again introduced legislation to raise the marriage age to 18, but the bill was modified to only raise the age to 17 before being passed by both chambers.[6] O'Connell has stated that he would like to eventually see the age raised to 18.[7]
