An Insider’s View of Tip O’Neill and Congress

Congressman Joe Moakley said that “serving in Congress is like living in the neighborhood ... you’ve got to build relationships. You’ve got to let people know you. You’ve got to do a lot of listening.”

It’s the kind of advice he would have received from his fellow Massachusetts congressman, the late Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, who worked diligently to get along with colleagues no matter what their ideology. Indeed, in an era of deep political divide, the lessons of a Congress that functioned in a more bipartisan way seem especially relevant and almost poignant.

That was the takeaway from this year’s Moakley Breakfast, an annual event that pays tribute to the public service ethos of Congressman Moakley. Held in person after a two-year hiatus, this year’s event featured panelist was Sawyer Business School Professor Linda Melconian, who spoke about her new book, Lay It on the Table: A Change Agent in Action: When Tip O’Neill Led the US House of Representatives to End the Vietnam War. The panel was moderated by Boston Globe columnist Joan Vennochi and also featured Tommy O’Neill, Tip’s son and a former lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, who shared anecdotes that demonstrated his father’s innate likability and strong sense of public service.

A former assistant counsel to O’Neill, Melconian brings an insider’s perspective to the legislative process and to O’Neill as a leader, a politician for whom “compromise” was not a bad word.

“Tip O’Neill’s leadership serves as a lesson of how the House should work for the good of the country,” said Melconian. “He personified commitment, energy, and a willingness to work out solutions.”

Indeed, Melconian has used the many lessons she learned from O’Neill in her own career in public service: She represented the Springfield area as a Massachusetts state senator for more than two decades and was the first woman majority leader of the Massachusetts Senate.

Co-sponsored by the Ford Hall Forum, Suffolk University’s Moakley Center for Public Management, and Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School, the Moakley Breakfast promotes the legacy of public service exemplified by Moakley, who served as US representative for the Massachusetts 9th district from 1973 until his death in 2001. Moakley earned his law degree from Suffolk in 1956 and received an honorary Doctorate of Public Administration in 1977. Speaker O’Neill served as a mentor to Moakley when he started in Congress.

At the breakfast, Sawyer Business School Dean Amy Zeng gave the annual Moakley Public Service Award to Melconian. The award recognizes individuals who exemplify Congressman Moakley’s commitment and outstanding performance in the public service sector.