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Union County Freeholders Celebrate New Statewide “County Commissioner” Name

Union County Freeholders Rebecca Williams, Angela Garretson, and Andrea Staten (l-r) joined New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy in a bill signing ceremony in Trenton on Friday for a new state law that changes the title of freeholder to commissioner.

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders welcomes a new state law that changes the name “board of chosen freeholders” to “board of county commissioners,” and “chosen freeholder” to “county commissioner” for all 21 counties in New Jersey. Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation earlier today, and the changeover will take place beginning in 2021.

The title “freeholder” dates back to the 1700’s. It refers to white male property owners who had clear title to their land, reflecting laws that effectively prevented most women, and practically all Black Americans, from holding public office in New Jersey.

“This Freeholder Board strongly supports the Black Lives Matter movement, and we support efforts to break down the barrier of structural racism in all its forms,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “This change in title will finally put to rest a centuries-old concept of civic participation that is out of step with the diversity of our population and inconsistent with the principles of equality.”

“County Commissioner’ is an inclusive title that celebrates and respects all citizens who seek to participate in the civic fabric of our community,” said Freeholder Angela Garretson, who sponsored a Freeholder resolution in support of the name change and worked with colleagues at all levels of government throughout New Jersey to advocate for the change.

“As one of five women on our nine-member Freeholder Board, I understand the historical significance, and need for change. I am especially proud of the transition to a title that fully embraces the contributions of all women, minorities, and/or non-privileged members into the democratic process in New Jersey,” Freeholder Garretson added.

“We continue to strive to represent our ever diversifying constituency,” said Freeholder Andrea Staten.  “As an African American member of a majority female board, this new title is a positive and significant change for County Freeholders throughout the State of New Jersey.”

“As the late, great Toni Morrison noted, language is something that we ‘do,’ it is the action verb that we perform daily. With the change to County Commissioner, the State of New Jersey acknowledges that the path toward an equitable and inclusive society requires that we pay attention to how we use language to represent both ourselves and the people—as commissioners, we are entrusted to serve the people with all the meaning with which that word is invested,” said Freeholder Rebecca Williams.

Collective efforts to modernize the title have been undertaken periodically in recent years. These efforts gained momentum in recent months, following the murder of Minneapolis, Minnesota resident George Floyd. The widespread actions, including many in New Jersey and Union County, challenged the persistence of institutional and structural racism in America and raised awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement and racial inequities, at a time when the COVID-19 crisis has underscored disproportionate impacts on health and food security.

For information and updates on all Union County services during the COVID-19 outbreak, including guidance for using the Drive-Through Test Center at Kean University and a list of locations for walk-up tests, visit ucnj.org/coronavirus-update.

For general information about COVID-19 and phone contacts for 24/7 assistance with questions, visit the New Jersey Department of Health at nj.gov/health.

 

 

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