RIP Charlie Shannon

I was greatly saddened to see in today's Globe that state senator Charles E. Shannon, Jr. (D-Winchester) has passed away, apparently due to complications arising from his ongoing treatment for cancer.

Shannon was a Lexington police officer for many years before health problems forced him to retire from that line of work.  He then entered the state senate as a Republican, but switched parties in 1996.  He was a skilled practitioner of local politics, but also became a reliable progressive voice - recently he voted against amending the state Constitution to ban gay marriage, and although his illness kept him from voting on the stem cell bill, he wrote a letter that was read on the Senate floor during the debate encouraging his colleagues to support the bill and noting that the bill would "help save lives."

He will be greatly missed by his constituents, of whom I am proud to have been one.