Robert O’Donnell
Education Senior Fellow
The Honorable Robert W. O’Donnell is an Education Senior Fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation.
Bob is a Philadelphia-based attorney and a former Democratic Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. As a member of the House for 19 years, Bob rose through the ranks of leadership, serving as caucus chairman, majority whip, majority leader, and Speaker of the House. While in public service, he developed a reputation as a thoughtful, dynamic, and intellectually honest member of the House. He has been a consistent advocate for equality of opportunity including supporting school choice throughout his tenure in the legislature.
Bob has served as a member of Public Employees Retirement Study Commission, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, the Board of Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh, the Mayor’s Tax Budget and Advisory Committee (Philadelphia), the Chesapeake Bay Commission, the General State Authority, the Mayor’s Economic Recovery Task Force (Philadelphia), the Millrite Council, and the Philadelphia Port Corporation Board of Directors.
He is a graduate of Temple University and its law school and attended The Hague Academy of International Law. Arcadia College and Philadelphia University awarded Bod honorary degrees, and he has received several public awards including citations from the Pennsylvania League of Cities Service and Common Cause.
Bob resides in Chestnut Hill with his wife, Dr. Donna Gentile O’Donnell.
Education
Strange Arguments Against Seniority Reform
An amusing opinion article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette takes aim at pending legislation that would protect high-performing teachers and change incentives in persistently failing schools. Authors Adam…
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Don’t buy Wolf’s budget propaganda (letter)
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Read More: Don’t buy Wolf’s budget propaganda (letter)Public Union Democracy
The Law Should Not Condone Violence
Yesterday, Ironworkers Local 401 union leader Joseph Dougherty was given a 19 year prison sentence for encouraging sabotage and intimidation to advance his union’s interests. The judge in the…
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A Cooked Goose Lays No Golden Eggs
Gov. Wolf continues to promote a severance tax on natural gas, even as Pennsylvania energy companies report financial losses and job reductions. This week, Consol Energy projected…
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Lawsuit Inspires Teacher to Speak Out
Over the weekend, Adam Brandolph of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review penned an excellent story on James Williams, a Mercer County science teacher standing up for his rights against the Pennsylvania…
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PA Democrat Gov. Wolf’s Largest Tax Increase In History Rejected By Both Parties In The House 193-0
Topics on this page Pennsylvania…
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Budget Debate Highlights Pennsylvania’s Need for Fundamental Tax and Pension Reform
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A Severance Tax “Like Other States”? Not so fast
Gov. Tom Wolf and special interest groups continue to insist Pennsylvania needs to enact a severance tax because “other states have one.” This, of course, ignores the fact that Pennsylvania…
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Harrisburg is Ignoring the Biggest Budget Buster
Pop quiz: What’s the largest spending increase in Governor Tom Wolf’s budget proposal? You might assume education, as the governor has repeatedly insisted the state must reinvest in public schools.
Commentary
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Some PA school districts missing out on $1 billion in state aid
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Booze Monopoly, Billions In Tax Hikes At Stake In PA Budget Standoff
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A Double Shot of Liquid Courage
It shouldn’t take a double shot of liquid courage to finally end Prohibition in Pennsylvania. With pension deficits, revenue shortfalls, PLCB ethics violations, and consistent popular support, this should be…
Commentary
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Wolf Wrong About Pensions & Downgrades
Over the past week, Gov. Tom Wolf has been defending his vetoes of the state budget, pension reform, and liquor privatization, noting that rating agencies have been downgrading Pennsylvania’s…
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Wolf Truth Squad: Property Tax Relief Now
In a Patriot News story, Gov. Wolf’s spokesman Jeff Sheridan commented on need for immediate “property tax relief”—comments that don’t jibe with Gov. Wolf’s actual budget proposal. “Pennsylvanians don’t need property…
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Audio: Severance Tax Hurts All
Nearly two weeks into the new fiscal year, and Pennsylvania is still without a budget after Gov. Wolf vetoed the Republicans’ proposal last month. The governor, whose own…
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America Works (On Misleading the Public)
America Works USA, an affiliate of the union-funded Democratic Governors Association, recently launched an ad campaign in support of Gov. Wolf’s effort to raise taxes on middle-…
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Gov. Wolf’s False Facts on Facebook
Governor Tom Wolf made it clear that he didn’t like anything in the budget that the General Assembly put on his desk on June 30—even though it mirrored about…
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Wolf Repeating Same Mistakes of the Past
Earlier this week, we pointed out how Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto of liquor privatization—using talking points from union leaders to justify his action—didn’t make much sense. Wolf’s reasoning…
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When Desperation Sets In
This is what desperation looks like. Gov. Tom Wolf recently visited Downingtown Area School District and claimed the no-tax-increase budget he recently vetoed “includes only $8 million…
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Pension Reform Veto Costs Pennsylvanians Dearly
Pension Reform Veto Costs Pennsylvanians Dearly Public Employees & Middle Class Bear Consequences of Pension Inaction Good afternoon, Today, Governor Tom Wolf confirmed that he will veto historic pension…
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