Mercer county administrator will be Asbury Park’s new city manager

Changes are coming in Mercer County, where Dan Benson becomes the first new county executive in 20 years on January 1.

Lillian Nazzaro, the county administrator since 2020 and an alpaca farmer, will become the new city manager in Asbury Park.

The council had undergone a search following the announcement that Donna Vieiro will retire at the end of this year.  Last night, they unanimously voted to hire Nazzaro.

Mayor John Moor said they reviewed 36 candidates for the post, and Nazzaro came out on top of a list of six finalists.

“We reviewed 36 candidates for the role and narrowed it down to six semifinalists,” said Mayor John Moor.

“We were impressed by Lillian L. Nazzaro’s broad base of experience, demonstrated leadership, and proven management capabilities,” said Moor.  “I am confident Lilly is the right choice for Asbury Park and will be able to effectively implement the polices we set.”

Nazzaro went to work for Mercer County as a deputy county counsel in 2004, eleven months into Brian Hughes’ term as county executive and became deputy county administrator in 2019.

Hughes dropped his bid for re-election earlier this year after Benson, an assemblyman from Hamilton, defeated him at the Mercer County Democratic convention.