[4] An avid educational advocate, O'Malley was a vocational teacher and later a principal at the Akerley campus of the Nova Scotia Community College in Halifax.
[3] O'Malley entered provincial politics in the 1988 election, defeating New Democrat Maureen MacDonald by 776 votes in the Halifax Needham riding.
[7] He served as a backbench member of John Savage's government until March 1995, when he was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of Supply and Services.
[10] O’Malley was moved to the labour portfolio, where he brought in safety training changes in the wake of the Westray mining disaster that resulted in 26 deaths.
[5] During his time as minister of supply and services, O'Malley once faced public criticism and outcry when he was in Sydney to announce the plan to cap the tar ponds.