The gubernatorial candidate’s post went viral quickly.
An Ohio Supreme Court justice and Ohio gubernatorial candidate has received backlash after he made a controversial Facebook post responding to the recent rash of allegations of sexual misconduct against public figures.
Bill O’Neill’s Facebook post published Friday morning reads:
Now that the dogs of war are calling for the head of Senator Al Franken I believe it is time to speak up on behalf of all heterosexual males. As a candidate for Governor let me save my opponents some research time. In the last fifty years I was sexually intimate with approximately 50 very attractive females. It ranged from a gorgeous blonde who was my first true love and we made passionate love in the hayloft of her parents barn and ended with a drop dead gorgeous red head from Cleveland.
Now can we get back to discussing legalizing marijuana and opening the state hospital network to combat the opioid crisis. I am sooooo disappointed by this national feeding frenzy about sexual indiscretions decades ago.
Peace.
In just two hours, the post had gotten 300 shares and hundreds of comments, including one from Cincinnati council member Chris Seelbach: “For a second I thought about at least considering supporting you. Not only have you lost any glimpse of support from me, you’ll also lost my respect.”
Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Conner condemned his post Friday afternoon: “I condemn in no uncertain terms Justice O’Neill’s Facebook post. No words can convey my shock. This gross disrespect for women shakes the public’s confidence in the integrity of the judiciary.”
The post has been edited to remove identifying information about the women O’Neill references. O’Neill commented on the post after editing: “Hey I do listen. I have deleted all references to the women involved. That was disrespectful.”
O’Neill lives in the Cleveland area and has served on the Ohio Supreme Court since 2012. He announced last month that he is running for Ohio governor as a Democrat in 2018.
