Counties will keep current leadership titles after County Commissioner switch

When New Jersey rebrands freeholders as county commissioners on January 1, the leadership titles will remain the same.

“Current statutes authorize non-charter counties to appoint a director and charter counties to appoint a chairperson or president,” said John Donnadio, the executive director of the New Jersey Association of Counties in a memo obtained by the New Jersey Globe.

Donnadio said counties should “always defer your county counsel, believe we would need a legislative change for a non-charter county to appoint a chairperson or president to leadership and for a charter county to appoint a director.”

Fifteen counties that currently have freeholder directors — Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren – will have directors of the county Board of Commissioners, according to guidance from the New Jersey Association of Counties.

In the five counties with a County Executive form of government – Atlantic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Mercer – can opt for either a board president or chair.  It’s the same thing in Union, the only place in the state with a County Manager.