Essex County to Add DP Benefits

February 2, 2006

In a surprise policy directive during his annual State of the County address last night, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. proposed extending pension and health benefits to the domestic partners of county employees.

The proposal, which has to be approved by the nine-member freeholder board, would make Essex the ninth New Jersey county to extend some degree of benefits to domestic partners.

It would also avert a conflict with gay rights activists like the one recently fought in Ocean County, where the freeholder board repeatedly denied an employee's pleas to transfer her pension benefits to her life partner before reversing its decision last week after state officials intervened on the dying woman's behalf.

DiVincenzo's proposal is not expected to face opposition in Essex, with several freeholders pledging their support for the resolution. Freeholder Vice President Patricia Sebold called it absolutely the correct thing to do.

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