Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello was recently sworn in to be the new President of the Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. The swearing-in took place at The Statehouse Annex in Trenton.  She was elected to the position by her peers in the organization, based in all 21 counties of New Jersey.  She was sworn in by Senator Shirley K Turner. Also joining was Mercer County’s other two senators, Senator Linda Greenstein and Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman via Zoom. Members of the Constitutional Officers Association also were online to observe the ceremony as newly installed officers attended the ceremony in the Statehouse in person.

Previously, Sollami Covello served as Vice President, Secretary, and Chief Clerk of COANJ, which is made up of County Clerks, Surrogates, Registers, and Sheriffs of New Jersey. She also has served on various committees through the years.

“I’m so thrilled and honored to be able to lead this bi-partisan organization of NJ County Clerks, Sheriffs and Surrogates in a collaborative and positive way to move the organization forward through this pandemic,” said County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello. “We will continue to exchange best practices so that we can continue to bring direct County services to the public.”

The Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey was founded in 1920. Its primary goal, as stated on their website, is “To establish a cooperative effort among the Sheriffs, County Clerks, Surrogates and Registers of Deeds among the 21 counties of the State of New Jersey to improve services rendered to their respective constituencies.” In addition to several smaller meetings throughout the year, the constitutional officers hold an annual conference and installment dinner to educate members on emerging topics, swear in new officers, and discuss best practices to improve services throughout the members’ respective counties of New Jersey.”