County freeholders wholeheartedly support official name change to ‘commissioners’

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — History was made Aug. 21 when Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law legislative bill S855, which will require the title of “chosen freeholder” to be changed to “county commissioner.” The new law will require all “boards of chosen freeholders” to be known as “boards of county commissioners” and all individual “freeholders” to be known as “commissioners,” effective Jan. 1, 2021.

The Board of County Commissioners, formerly Board of Chosen Freeholders, is the legislative body of county government in New Jersey. The term “freeholder” goes back to a time when only men who owned land free of debt were qualified to serve in the role. For all intents and purposes, this excluded every demographic of American, with the exception of white men, from serving as representatives of county government. That name will now be a part of history, as opposed to a present-day title of distinction. New Jersey is known for being one of the more progressive states in the county, but, prior to this new law, New Jersey was the only state in the nation still using the term.

On hand to witness the signing were Essex County freeholders, soon-to-be county commissioners, Vice President Wayne Richardson, Rufus Johnson, Romaine Shuler-Graham and Tyshammie Cooper, as well as a host of government officials from different areas of the state.

Johnson, who was elected to the freeholder board in 2008, is the longest serving male black freeholder in the history of New Jersey. To show reverence for his service, and acknowledge the significance of the name change to the black community, he was invited on stage adjacent to Murphy as the governor signed the bill into law.

Upon the signing, Johnson said, “For too long, the African American community has felt marginalized both politically and socioeconomically. The term freeholder, from its origin, excluded us from taking part as representatives in county government. The name change was necessary and — with the current state of affairs in our county — timely, and I am honored to be a part of this historic occasion.”

In addition to the name change, the new law requires counties to update their websites, letterheads, stationery and other writings with the title of “county commissioners” in place of “freeholders” or “chosen freeholders” within one year of the bill’s effective date. The law will not require counties to update or replace signs to reflect the title change within this timeframe, if doing so would require the expenditure of county funds. In such a case, the law requires the changes be made whenever the writing is next updated or replaced.

“The elimination of the term freeholder is long overdue, and I am happy the process of moving away from this term has begun,” Essex County Freeholder President Brendan Gill said. “From a communication and technology standpoint, we cannot completely get rid of the term overnight. As a start, we have already changed the name on our social media outlets, and we will examine different ways to inform the public of the name change as we transition over the course of the next few months.”

“When we take the term freeholder and put it into historical context, we are reminded of our country’s legacy of systemic exclusion and oppression,” Richardson said. “Changing the name was necessary, especially in these current times, but more necessary is the need to continue working towards fair and equal treatment for all citizens.”