The Passing of Laurel Hester

Laurel Hester succumbs to cancer a month after winning her crusade for partner benefits.

Hester, weak from the lung cancer that was killing her, made a public appearance before the Ocean County freeholders in December to ask that her pension benefits be passed to her domestic partner, Stacie Andree.

Her plea put a poignant face on the gay rights movement in New Jersey and around the nation. The freeholder board, which initially turned her down, ultimately acquiesced last month, and other counties began changing their rules as well.

A month after winning the right to pass her pension benefits to Andree -- and days after the state Supreme Court heard arguments on gay marriage -- Laurel Hester lost her battle with cancer yesterday. She was 49. [...]

Knowing she was dying of lung cancer, Hester asked the freeholder board privately in October to extend those benefits to Andree. The board said no, citing the increased expense the county would incur and insisting it was a matter for negotiations with the labor unions. [...]

The freeholders relented last month after Republican state legislators from Ocean County promised to sponsor legislation that would address the pension flaw. In one of his first acts after taking office, Gov. Jon Corzine intervened, telling the freeholders he would support a state legislative measure in the matter.

“I never expected to come out this way,” Hester said of challenging the freeholders. “So I’ve come full circle.” (source)

This is quite a sad story. I want to say that it had a good ending, but it’s hard for me to come to that conclusion. In the end, Laurel Hester did get her benefits that she would have automatically received had she and her partner been able to be married, but she went through hell to get them. This all prompted me to write this letter upon hearing about her death, to the Ocean Country freeholders. The letter was sent out a few minutes ago.

From the news article:
Freeholder Joseph Vicari said yesterday he was “very saddened” at the news of Hester’s death.

“She was a very dedicated, loyal employee of the county for 23 years,” he said. “We are very proud of her service. This is a great loss not only to the prosecutor’s office, but also for law enforcement.”

Although the past few months have been difficult for Hester and the freeholder board, Vicari said, he believes the freeholders did the right thing in helping to reverse the inequities in the pension system.

“Fortunately for Laurel Hester, she received what she wished,” he said. “She was a very kind person. Very compassionate.”

My response:
Yes... but you know what is really really sad? It’s the fact that the Ocean County freeholders put Laurel Hester through this hell in the last months of her life! You can tell the papers that you are “very saddened” at her death (typical cover-your-ass politician), but nothing covers up the fact that you did this to her - no one else. You should be down right ashamed for the way you conducted yourselves during this entire horrible experience. And for what? To save some money? Is that your excuse?

Be “very saddened” all you want. What you all did to Laurel Hester is truly UNFORGIVABLE. You can’t take that back with two lousy words. You owe her life partner a VERY sincere PUBLIC apology for what you put them both through. That is what will start the healing. I haven’t heard that from any of you. I doubt your sincerity in this public statement of being “very saddened”.

After the years of service that Laurel Hester gave you, she deserved a hell of a lot better than she got back.

Sincerely,

Bill Cannon
Connecticut (yes, EVERYONE saw this for it was - just calloused bigotry)