Name changes for county elected officials are coming after Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation Friday requiring the title of “freeholder” to be changed to “county commissioner.”
All “boards of chosen freeholders” will be known as “boards of county commissioners,” according to the bill.
The law, which becomes effective Jan. 1, 2021, also requires counties to update their letterheads, stationary, websites and other written materials by Jan. 1, 2022.
Counties can take longer to update or replace signs or other written materials if meeting the deadline would require spending extra funds. Instead, the title would be changed whenever the material is updated or replaced in the normal course of business.
“Changing the title of ‘freeholder’ is long overdue. People know the term is offensive and refers to a time when only white male landowners could hold public office,” said Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver. “As a former freeholder, I was fully aware that this title was not inclusive of African American women such as myself. History is constantly evolving, and our terminology needs to keep up with it to be more reflective of where we are as a society.”
New Jersey was the only state to continue using the term.
The nine-member Atlantic County freeholder board voted unanimously Tuesday to support the name change.
“This is not about the people who serve as freeholders, but rather the title,” said Dr. Jonathan Holloway, president of Rutgers University. “The title freeholder has a legacy that grows out of denying people access and the right to have a voice. Our present day should simply not look like that.”
