Politics & Government

Walsh Named County Freeholder Director; Peter Palmer is Deputy Director

Longtime Somerset County Freeholder Peter Palmer of Bernardsville sworn onto sixth term in office.

Patricia L. Walsh of Green Brook was named director of the Somerset County Board of Freeholders for 2012 at the board’s reorganization meeting on Friday. The recently re-elected Peter S. Palmer of Bernardsville will serve as deputy director this year.

Robert Zaborowski of Franklin joined Palmer in taking the oath of office for their fifth and sixth freeholder terms, respectively, according to the county. The other members of the freeholder board are Patrick Scaglione of Bridgewater and Mark Caliguire of Montgomery, appointed this fall to fill the one-year unexpired freeholder term of Assemblyman Jack M. Ciattarelli.

Walsh, with her husband Jack by her side, was adminstered the oath of office by Denise Coyle of Bernards Township, who until Dec. 31, was an assemblywoman for the 16th district. At that point, her hometown was switched out of the 16th district, and into the 21st, according to a state redistricting plan that goes into effect in 2012. Coyle also had previously served as Somerset County Freeholder.

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Bernards among three municipalities due to begin using Somerset County emergency dispatch services this year

In her inaugural remarks, Walsh said that this year three more of the county's municipalities — including Bernards Township, Somerville and Raritan Borough — Other projected tasks include completion of the North County Public Works Facility in Bridgewater; design of a new Social Services building to replace the current one on East High Street in Somerville; creation of recycling drop-off locations around the county for residents and businesses; and completion of the police consolidation study in early March, she said.

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Walsh noted that Somerset County joined most of New Jersey in weathering two significant storms in 2011: Hurricane Irene in August and the Halloween weekend nor’easter.

“I want to again thank and commend the first responders, emergency management and public works teams, state, county and municipal employees, local organizations and the many volunteers who came forward to respond to these storms,” Walsh said. “We were fortunate to have no loss of life in Somerset County during either event.”

She continued, "This year will present ongoing financial challenges. We have gone through the worst economic scenario in anybody’s memory and have done so while protecting our taxpayers, services to our citizens and the livelihood of county employees.

“The next 12 to 24 months are going to be just as challenging and will require even greater cooperation if we are to continue our longstanding tradition of exemplary services coupled with a strong financial underpinning that is based on solid planning and sound budgeting,” she said.

On the plus side, Walsh said, the county has retained its long-held triple-A bond rating and received more than $60 million in grant funds during 2011. One of the largest grants was $35.2 million for the Route 22 and Chimney Rock Road Interchange, which is scheduled to start construction later this year, she said.

Other 2011 accomplishments cited by county Freeholders included construction of solar panels on 36 public-sector properties as part of the countywide renewable-energy project, with another 35 sites will be part of phase two this year. Open space acquisitions included the 247-acre Skillman Park and another 355 acres for the Sourland Mountain Preserve.

The county’s dedicated open-space trust fund also provided $1-million grants to Bound Brook and Green Brook for turf field upgrades, according to county officials.

Walsh recalled the passing last fall of two longtime Somerset County public servants, former Freeholders Vernon A. Noble and Peter J. Biondi. Noble served as county surrogate before retiring some years ago; Biondi had just won re-election to the State Assembly at the time of his death in early November.

County officials plan to name the Talmage Avenue flood-control bridge in memory of Noble, a founding member of the Green Brook Flood Control Commission, according to the county. Hillsborough Township’s municipal building will be named for Assemblyman Biondi, who served as mayor there.


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