Monmouth County To Remove 'Freeholder' Title By 2021

FREEHOLD, NJ – Monmouth County Freeholders will no longer be referred to by their current titles, according to new legislation signed by Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday. The bill requires the official title of freeholder to be changed to county commissioner, effective Jan. 1 of next year.

The legislation also requires county officials to change letterheads, stationary and websites to list the title of county commissioners in place of freeholders. New Jersey serves as the only state left in the country to use the freeholder term for county officials.

Related: 'Freeholder' Title Abolished In New Jersey

The term originates as an old British legal word and refers to a debt-free landowner. The title was a requirement to hold public office at a time when only white men could own land. Critics of the term call it a vestige of the state's colonial past, where property during the period could have also included slaves.

"Amid a national reckoning to reexamine vestiges rooted in structural racism, this action will eliminate the use of the term 'Freeholder' in county government— a title that is an outgrowth of a time when people of color and women were excluded from public office,” Murphy said Friday.

Per the legislation, Nick DiRocco of Wall Township serves as the last individual in Monmouth County to be sworn in as a freeholder. The former mayor of Wall was elected in 2019 alongside Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone. DiRocco was sworn in earlier this year.

Two seats are open in the Nov. 3 election for Monmouth County Freeholders. Individuals who are elected in November are slated to be sworn in as commissioners next year.

Related: Bill To Eliminate 'Freeholder' Title Passes Through State Senate

Yet, the legislation didn't pass without its critics: in a statement last month, Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone voiced his disapproval for the name change, calling the decision “mind blowing."

"This is not the time for grandstanding and changing the title of elected officials is not going to help anyone," the official said in a statement.

"They say actions speak louder than words and the actions of the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders have been and will continue to be done in the best interest of our residents—no matter what we are called."

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