Freeholders
reorganize
for new year
The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders met last week in the Hall of Records, Freehold, to reorganize county government for 2003. Judge Lawrence M. Lawson, Assignment Judge of the state Superior Court, Freehold, administered the oaths of office to the recently re-elected freeholders Harry Larrison Jr. and Thomas J. Powers. Also, county Clerk Claire French, who won re-election last November, was sworn in by Lawson as well.
The freeholders again selected Larrison, of Ocean Grove, to serve as director and presiding officer for the new year. For Larrison, who is starting his 38th year as an elected freeholder, this will be his 23rd term as director of the board.
Powers, of Wall Township, will serve as deputy director in 2003. Powers is starting his 22nd year on the board. He is a former mayor of Aberdeen Township.
According to a press release from the board of freeholders, Larrison thanked voters for electing him to another term on the county governing body. Larrison is the dean of sitting freeholders in New Jersey.
Larrison spoke of his continuing enjoyment in helping people.
"People have been my life," he said. "To help a person just makes my day."
The long-time freeholder also noted that the fiscal condition of county government remains in the best of conditions.
"All three bond rating services in the nation have given Monmouth County a Triple-A rating, the highest possible," he said. "Only a handful of counties in the United States hold that triple crown. This means extremely low interest rates and high savings in tax dollars when we have to borrow funds for major projects."
Powers said many residents of Monmouth County are concerned with continuing development in the region.
"Money magazine told the world what we already knew; that Monmouth County is a great place to live. So it’s no wonder that people want to move here," Powers said.
He called upon Gov. James McGreevey to keep his promise to stem suburban sprawl.
In the assignment of responsibilities for the oversight of the various functions of county government, Larrison was assigned to oversee the area of Administration and Special Services; Powers was assigned Public Works and Engineering; Freeholder Theodore J. Narozanick, of Freehold, Human Services, Health and Transportation; Freeholder Amy H. Handlin, of Middletown, was assigned oversight of Finance; and Freeholder Edward J. Stominski, of Eatontown, Administration of Justice and Parks.
Freeholders Larrison, Powers and Narozanick were appointed as members of the Board of School Estimate of Brookdale Community College for 2003.
The freeholders made several appointments during the course of the meeting. Robert E. Winant, of Red Bank, was reappointed insurance consultant for the county for a one-year term.
Malcolm V. Carton, of Avon, was reappointed county counsel for a three-year term.
Reappointed assistant county counsels for one-year terms were Robert D. Faccone, of Avon; Robert J. Hrebek, of Sea Girt; William M. Kinney, of Eatontown; John R. Madden, of Red Bank; Gil D. Messina, of Red Bank; Frederick P. Niemann, of Freehold; and Edward A. Reilly Jr., of Ocean Township.
Reappointed as special county counsels for 2003 were Donald L. Beekman, of Ocean Grove; Dominic J. Cerminaro, of Highland Park, James J. Cleary, Matawan; Paul S. Kennedy, Sea Girt; Granville D. Magee, of Wall Township; William J. O’Hagan Jr., Neptune; and Robert B. Thaler, of Union Beach.
Mark E. Acker, of Howell, was reappointed finance director for a three-year term.
Stephen Kowal, of Freehold, was reappointed as director of the Department of Health Care Facilities for 2003.
Daniel J. Wolfe, of Howell, was reappointed the director of the Department of Public Works and Engineering for a one-year term.
Thomas Broderick, of Marlboro, was reappointed assistant supervisor of roads for a three-year term.
Dorothy Woodford, of Freehold, was appointed as Public Agency Compliance Officer. She will be responsible for coordinating the reporting procedures from contractors regarding compliance with affirmative action regulations for 2003.
The firm of Armour S. Hulsart and Co., certified public accountants, of Wall Township, was redesignated as the independent auditor for Monmouth County for one year. The firm will be responsible for auditing the books and records of the 12 major departments of county government.
Larrison, Handlin and Stominski were appointed to the Board of School Estimate for the Monmouth County vocational schools for the year 2003.
In addition, Frederick Storz, of Manalapan, and William D. Warters, of Middletown, were reappointed as citizen members to the county Planning Board for three-year terms. Sam P. Alfano, of Marlboro, and Mollie Giamanco, of Holmdel, were reappointed as citizen alternates to the Planning Board for 2003.
Narozanick was picked again to serve as the voting member representing the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders to the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority for the year.
The board made six three-year reappointments to the Advisory Council to the Office On Aging. They were Joanne Church, of Highlands, and Emil Fortunato, of Neptune, Esther Gold, of Freehold, Walter Gorbich, of Farmingdale, Sarah Larsen, of Hazlet, and Susan Weisenberg, of Freehold. In addition, Beverly Burozski, of Middletown, John Donorfrio, of Freehold, Norma Klein, of Eatontown and Milton Zimet, of Elberon, were appointed new members of the Advisory Council to the Office On Aging for three-year terms.
Michael W. Bonfiglio, of Freehold, Lucy Dugan, Farmingdale, Sarah Larsen, of Hazlet, James D. Marzano Jr., of Union Beach, Elaine McNamara, of Freehold, Patricia McShane, of Keansburg, Skip Norman, of Asbury Park, and Louis O’Brien, of Freehold, were reappointed members of the Monmouth County Senior Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Advisory Committee for two-year terms.
The freeholders reappointed several members of the county Environmental Council for three-year terms. They were Rosemary Brewer, of Little Silver, and Wilma Morrissey, of Wall Township. Sam P. Alfano, of Marlboro, was reappointed to the council for a one-year term.
Mary Ellen Connelly, of Hazlet, Barbara Kolarsick, of Spring Lake, and Lydia Wikoff, of Manalapan, were reappointed to the Monmouth County Histor-ical Commission for three years. George H. Moss Jr., of Rumson, was reappointed Monmouth County historian for a three-year term. Moss will serve without compensation.
Frank Gibson, of Freehold, was appointed to a five-year term on the Monmouth County Library Commission.
Peter Koelsch, of Matawan, Louis O’Brien, of Freehold, and Anna Wainright, of West Long Branch, were reappointed to the county Transportation Council for three-year terms. David Jacobs, of Manalapan, was reappointed as an alternate to the council for a one-year term.
Mary Pat Angelini, of Oakhurst, Barry Johnson, of Freehold, Michael Maddaluna, of Freehold, Mary Ann McGevna, of Freehold, Gayle Netta, of Asbury Park, Nancy Pollinger, of Freehold, and William Wood, of Red Bank, were reappointed to three-year terms on the Youth Services Commission.