County Officials

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Freeholder Lillian Burry

Lillian Burry has served on the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders since 2006. In 2008, she served as Freeholder Director, the first woman in County history to be elected to this position. Under her leadership, the Board made many improvements to the County government, including strict oversight of spending and budget practices. Importantly, the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders was the only county government in the State of New Jersey that did not raise taxes in 2008. Lillian Burry served three terms on the Colts Neck Township Committee, where she served as mayor, deputy mayor and committeewoman. In Matawan, Lillian Burry was the first woman elected to the Borough Council. Freeholder Burry serves on the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority. She has secured 400 acres of Open Space and Recreational Facilities and saved the Veterans Hospital. She has been in the forefront of objecting to the privitization of housing on N.W.S. Earle.

Freeholder Robert Clifton

Since 2004, Freeholder Robert Clifton has served on the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders. As a Freeholder, Mr. Clifton oversees the Finance Department, the Purchasing Department and Information Technology. He was the Mayor of Matawan Borough from 1996 until 2005. In addition, he has served on the borough’s unified Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment, the Board of Health and the Monmouth County Board of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Services. He also has served as chairman of the Bayshore Conference of Mayors. In 2008, he served as deputy director of the Board of Chosen Freeholders. Mr. Clifton has been employed by Comcast Cable Corp. as Director of Government and Community Affairs since 2001.

Monmouth County Clerk Claire French

M. Claire French: THE COUNTY CLERK is an office authorized by the Constitution of the State of New Jersey and carries a five-year term. M. Claire French, a resident of Monmouth County for more than 40 years, has been serving as County Clerk since January 1997. Ms. French lives in Wall Township with her husband Robert. Prior to her election as County Clerk, Ms. French served the Township of Wall as Mayor, a member of the governing body and Vice Chairman of the Planning Board. In 1986, the Board of Chosen Freeholders appointed Ms. French to organize and serve as the first Chairman of the Monmouth County Improvement Authority, an office she held for 10 years. Previously, she was appointed by Governor Thomas Kean to serve as a member of the New Jersey Job Training Council and by Governor Christine Todd Whitman to serve on the Local Finance Board where she was Vice Chair. Ms. French remains active on the Boards of Directors of a number of civic andcommunity organizations including the Central Jersey Blood Bank and the Information Age and Learning Center, Camp Evans. She Chairs Meridian Hospital's Government & Community Relations Committee; she is on the Board of Directors of Central Jersey Bank and is a member of the Monmouth County Association for the Blind. The County Clerk's responsibilities can be divided into four functions: Recording, Elections, Archives and Passports. The Recording Division is responsible for recording all real property records for the County, to include mortgages, land title deeds, liens, and trade names, in addition to other documents. The Election Division prepares the actual ballot, processes absentee applications, tabulates election totals and certifies results to the Secretary of State. The Archives Division stores and makes available to the public a huge volume of records of the county, some of which date as far back as the 17th century. The Passport Division assists persons seeking passports. The County Clerk's Office also provides identification cards to county residents and administers oaths to notaries and public officials. In addition, the County Clerk is empowered to perform weddings.

Monmouth County Surrogate Rosemarie D. Peters, Esq.

Rosemarie Peters is serving in her first five-year term as Monmouth County Surrogate. She was a member of the Middletown Township Committee for 18 years, four of them as Mayor and three as Deputy Mayor. She is also a former member of the Middletown Township Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Adjustment. She initiated and chaired the township's Open Space Preservation Committee and is the founder, past president, and a current trustee of the Middletown Township Cultural and Arts Council. Rosemarie is a past member of the Executive Board and Legislative Review Committee of the NJ State League of Municipalities. She is also a member of the Middletown Community Emergency Response Team (CERT); former member of the Monmouth County Environmental Council; former board member of the Monmouth County Mental Health Association; and former president of the Middletown Township League of Women Voters. She is a graduate of Rutgers School of Law-Newark, Thomas A. Edison State College, and Brookdale Community College.

Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno

In November 2007 Kim was elected to serve a three-year term as the Sheriff of Monmouth County. She is the first woman to serve as County Sheriff. As chief executive and administrative officer of Monmouth County's largest law enforcement agency, Sheriff Guadagno has supervision over the 735 employees who serve in the Law Enforcement Division, the 1,328 bed maximum security Monmouth County Correctional Institution, the Youth Detention Center, the Civil Division, and the Public Safety and 9-1-1 Emergency Dispatch Center. Of the 3,088 sheriffs' offices in the United States, the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office is the only one nationally accredited in all areas of operation and, today, continues to maintain or exceed these nationally accepted standards. The Monmouth County Sheriff's Office has developed innovative programs and partnerships including the Citizens Leadership Council, Citizen's Police Academy, Sheriff Youth Week, Prison Awareness Program, Identification Card Programs, Identity Theft Programs, seat belt safety awareness and court security initiatives. Cooperative efforts with the Office on Aging resulted in "Senior Scan-Seniors Fighting Terrorism," "Project Lifesaver," an electronic monitoring program for people with memory disorders, "Safe Surfing for Seniors," a program on Internet safety, and Triad, bringing law enforcement and seniors together to address the needs of Monmouth County seniors. Partnerships with the Superintendent of Schools resulted in the "My 8 Rules of Safety" program, "Safe Surfing" - a child internet safety program, and "Reach For Your Dreams," an innovative drug and violence prevention program for intermediate and high school students. During her distinguished legal career, Ms. Guadagno served as deputy director of the New Jersey Attorney General's Division of Criminal Justice and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, during which time the U.S. Department of Justice twice awarded her its highest honor for her prosecution of corrupt public officials. Prior to her election as Sheriff, Kim Guadagno served as a Commissioner in the Borough of Monmouth Beach, and as a member of the Plannning and Zoning boards. Sheriff Guadagno graduated with honors from both the Washington College of Law, American University, and Ursinus College. She teaches at Rutgers University School of Law, Newark. Sheriff Guadagno is married and has three sons.