Mount Carmel High School has a long tradition of alumni who devote their lives to public service.  Whether as police or firemen, serving in the US military, or in public office, the school’s graduates have made significant contributions.

One of the notable alums currently serving his community is 19th Ward Alderman Matt O’Shea, a 1987 graduate of Mount Carmel.  O’Shea returned to his alma mater as the keynote speaker for a junior high leadership seminar on Thursday, October 20.

For O’Shea, who grew up in the community and attended Christ the King Grammar School, community safety is a major concerns. His 19th ward consists of three neighborhoods: Beverly, Mount Greenwood and Morgan Park. While he considers that area to be very safe, with only petty crimes, he’s “always in communication with the 22nd police district and with civic groups like BAPA” (Beverly Area Planning Association) to keep it that way.

However, while an alderman’s primary concern is his own ward, he also shares responsibility for the larger city, where there has been a huge epidemic of gun violence. With 545 homicides in the city from January 1 through September, there is little doubt that number will continue to rise.

O’Shea admits “It’s frustrating.  We are lucky Beverly hasn’t seen (much violence), but it’s frustrating that kids can’t safely walk to school.”

In addition to the city’s plan to add 1,000 police officers and promote officers to Sergeants and Detectives, O’Shea contends “We need to be more supportive of our police and be their partners to address some issues of the community.”

O’Shea’s 19th Ward  also has other major construction projects going on currently, including installation of new gas pipes on Bell from 96th to 98th. This kind of work can cause inconveniences for residents, and the alderman “hopes that they will be done and off those streets soon.”

While those kinds of projects can elicit complaints, they also represent what O’Shea considers to be the best part of his job.  ” I love working in and with the community to solve different problems that we face.”

O’Shea attributes some of his leadership ability to the experiences he had in high school.   “Mount Carmel had a tremendous impact on my life.  It instilled in me on how to lead and bring people together.”

But when you are trying to help everyone you can, O’Shea knows he is bound to fail sometimes. “The hardest thing about my job is you can’t please everyone. It happens when people call with problems and you try your hardest to help them out, but you can’t meet the resolution that they want.”

But as O’Shea told the junior high students at the MC Leadership Conference, the possibility of failure is no reason to hold back on your leadership.  “Leaders (need to) get past their shyness, speak up, speak out, and make (their) voice heard.”