By Mark Scheer
Long-time Niagara County lawmaker Sean O’Connor said Friday he plans to represent the 5th District in Niagara Falls for the next two years.
O’Connor, who resigned from his position as legislator last week amid controversy over his county-funded health insurance benefits, now plans to attend a Jan. 2 ceremony where he will be sworn in for his next term of office.
“Due to the overwhelming support from both my family and friends, and after giving this entire matter a considerable amount of thought, I have decided that I will represent the (5th District) in Niagara Falls, during our 2008-09 legislative term, a term that I was voted into by the people of whom I am honored to serve,” O’Connor said in a statement sent to the Niagara Gazette Friday evening.
O’Connor, who said he was unavailable to comment earlier this week due to a planned vacation out of town, said his “high regards” for his constituents and encouragement from his family and friends led him to reconsider his decision to step away from public service.
“Many factors have come into play that have assisted me with this decision,” he said. “Among the most important, is my high regards for my constituents who have given me, time after time, their continued vote of confidence and trust over the past years. I am truly grateful for their continued support.”
O’Connor resigned from office last week to avoid losing lifetime medical benefits provided to him as a veteran of county government.
He has represented the 5th District for 22 years. By leaving office last week, O’Connor seems to have found a way to maintain free, lifetime health insurance from the county. Such benefits were owed to him under a 1998 resolution that provided lawmakers with more than 20 years of service with full coverage free of charge. In June, those eligibility guidelines were altered so that any lawmaker with O’Connor’s years of experience would have to pay 50 percent of their premiums if they were sworn in Jan. 1.
By resigning when he did, O’Connor becomes immediately eligible for free coverage, while retaining his ability to return to office next year.
