Narozanick will
run for seventh
freeholder term
By dick metzgar
Staff Writer
Ted Narozanick
Ted Narozanick has announced that he will seek a seventh consecutive three-year term on the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders on the Republican ticket.
Narozanick, 82, of Freehold Borough, said he wants to continue as a freeholder because he thinks he has much more to contribute to improving the quality of life in the county.
April 7 is the filing deadline for candidates seeking municipal, county and state office.
Narozanick has already served more than half a century in appointed and elected positions at the local, county and state levels.
Since being sworn in as a member of the freeholders board on Jan. 2, 1986, Narozanick, a World War II veteran, has served as a full-time freeholder.
"Running for another term was not a hard decision for me to make," Narozanick said. "I want to do what I can to help the people of the county and my community. As a full-time freeholder, I think I have a lot to offer."
Monmouth County is one of the fastest growing areas in the state with a budget that is approaching $400 million ($392 million for 2003).
"If I am re-elected to the board, one of my main focuses will be the quality of life in the county," Narozanick said. "I am concerned with the environment, continuing the acquisition of open space and the preservation of our farmland. I want to help our county continue as the leader in the state in these matters."
For several years, Narozanick has been a powerful figure in state transportation issues. He currently serves as chairman of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, an organization that fights for continuing federal funding for key transportation projects in New Jersey.
Narozanick is one of the foremost proponents of the proposed Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex (MOM) passenger rail line which would originate in Lakehurst and travel through Lakewood in Ocean County, through western Monmouth County, to South Brunswick in Middlesex County.
"I will continue to push for the creation of this rail line," Narozanick said. "With the increase of traffic congestion on Route 9, along with other main roads in our area, I feel it is vital that we have this alternative transportation for commuters to get many cars off of our roads."
In recent years, Narozanick led the push that saw the last link of the Route 33 bypass around Freehold Borough — a 1.5-mile stretch from Halls Mill Road in Freehold Township to just east of Fairfield Road in Howell — completed, after being on the drawing board for more than 30 years.
The entire Route 33 bypass from just east of Sweetmans Lane in Manalapan to just east of Fairfield Road in Howell was named the Theodore J. Narozanick Highway in his honor.
Narozanick served 19 years as a municipal official in his hometown of Englishtown, seven years as a councilman and 12 years as mayor, and nine years on the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education.
He accepted a position with Monmouth County in 1957 in the Department of Revenue. He served as budget director and was then appointed county administrator in 1974, where he served until his retirement in 1984.
Narozanick’s name has been mentioned as a possible replacement on the Republican ticket for the state Senate for John O. Bennett III, following published reports about Bennett’s alleged improprieties as Marlboro’s township attorney.
"That has been discussed," Narozanick said. "I think, at this time, my preference would be to stay here as a freeholder, serving the county of Monmouth."
Narozanick is the freeholder in charge of Human Services and Health, and Transportation.