O’Connell joins Senate Hall of Fame

Friday, April 1, 2005 | 9:39 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Former Sen. Ann O'Connell, who served longer than any other woman in the Legislature, was described Thursday as someone who is "strong willed and efficient and knew how to get things done."

O'Connell, a Republican from Las Vegas who was defeated in the 2004 election, was inducted into the Senate Hall of Fame Thursday.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said he could not think of another senator who was "more concerned or dedicated in serving her constituents when they asked for help. Her door was always open."

O'Connell served 20 years in the Senate and was a long-time chairman of the Senate Government Affairs Committee that gained the reputation of holding meetings late into the evenings to get business done.

Raggio said she "set a high example for all of us."

Other legislators praised her for her work and said although there were disagreements, she was always polite.

Senate Resolution 6 inducting her into the Hall of Fame said that as chairman of the Senate Government Affairs Committee she "carefully reviewed the operations of state and local government agencies."

"She championed the cause of suicide prevention by sponsoring legislation funding a nationally recognized 24-hour hotline and establishing a statewide suicide prevention program," the resolution said.

And she was a recognized expert in both education and tax policy, the resolution said.

Raggio said she was "the voice of the small independent business operator" in the Legislature.

Also inducted into the Hall of Fame was Horace H. Coryell of Wells, who served in the Senate from 1907 to 1914. He had six terms in the Assembly and was in the ranching business. During the 1913 session, the resolution said he used his influence to establish a high school in Wells.

He was a Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 1926 but lost in the primary election. He was elected as the first mayor of Wells in 1927 and served until his death April 1, 1928.