The Assembly Judiciary Committee this morning passed a bill (A-3954), which would require that the title of “chosen freeholder” be changed to “county commissioner.”

Accordingly, all “boards of chosen freeholders” would be known as “boards of county commissioners” and all individual “freeholders” and “chosen freeholders” would be known as “county commissioners.”  The bill creates a definition for “freeholder” to clarify that any reference in the statutes to a “freeholder” or “chosen freeholder” means a “county commissioner.”

Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker (D-16) is the bill’s prime sponsor.

“This title is by its very nature exclusionary,” said Zwicker.

“New Jersey is the last state to use this offensive term,” said Somerset County Freeholder Director Shanel Robinson, a prime mover along with Union County Freeholder Angela Garretson behind ditching the title.