County
New Jersey is divided into 21 counties, and all are governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders, which typically serves as both the legislative and executive body. The Boards consist of three, five, seven or nine members; only Warren County, New Jersey has a Board of 3 Freeholders, with voters rejecting expansion to five in November 2007. The means of election of the Freeholders varies from all Freeholders elected in districts, all elected at-large, or mixed district and at-large Freeholders. Elections are first past the post for single-member districts, and for at-large elections when only one seat is at stake. For at-large elections with more than one seat, plurality-at-large voting is used.
All counties in New Jersey hold organizational meetings on or right after New Year's Day. At this time the Boards elect members to leadership positions on the Boards. Depending upon the specific Board these offices include Director, Deputy Director, President, Vice-President, Chair, Chair Pro Tempore, Vice-Chair. Also at this organizational meeting each Freeholder is assigned as liaison to one or more departments of the county.
Five counties have a separately elected county executive (Atlantic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Mercer). A sixth county (Union) has a county executive that is appointed by the Board, analogous to the council-manager municipal form of government. In these counties, the Board of Chosen Freeholders retain only legislative authority. Most of the rest of the counties also appoint a county supervisor/administrator who is responsible for routine administrative operations of the county government. New Jersey counties have powers that are intermediate between the broad powers of counties in Pennsylvania and the limited powers of counties in New York.
Read more about this topic: Local Government In New Jersey
Famous quotes containing the word county:
“Jack: A politician, huh?
Editor: Oh, county treasurer or something like that.
Jack: What’s so special about him?
Editor: They say he’s an honest man.”
—Robert Rossen (1908–1966)
“I know this well, that if one thousand, if one hundred, if ten men whom I could name,—if ten honest men only,—ay, if one HONEST man, in this State of Massachusetts, ceasing to hold slaves, were actually to withdraw from this copartnership, and be locked up in the county jail therefor, it would be the abolition of slavery in America. For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be: what is once well done is done forever.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“But I would say to my fellows, once for all, As long as possible live free and uncommitted. It makes but little difference whether you are committed to a farm or the county jail.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)