The Bergen County Board of Commissioners (formerly the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders) is a Board of seven people who govern
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[Bergen County Executive
The Bergen County Executive is county executive of Bergen County, New Jersey, United States who, as the chief officer of the county's executive branch, oversees the administration of county government. The office was inaugurated in 1986 at the s ...]
. The members are elected
at-large
At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...
to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis with either two or three seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting in the beginning of January, the board elects a chair, Vice Chair and Chair Pro Tempore from among its members. As of 2021, Bergen County's Commissioners are Chair Steven A. Tanelli (
D,
North Arlington, term ends December 31, 2021), Vice Chair Tracy Silna Zur (D,
Franklin Lakes, term ends December 31, 2021), Chair Pro Tempore Dr. Joan M. Voss (D,
Fort Lee, December 31, 2023), Mary J. Amoroso (D,
Mahwah, term ends December 31, 2022), Ramon M. Hache, Sr. (D,
Ridgewood, term ends December 31, 2023), Germaine M. Ortiz (D,
Emerson, term ends December 31, 2022), and Thomas J. Sullivan (D,
Montvale, term ends December 31, 2022).
Responsibilities
The Board is responsible for creating the laws for Bergen County. Most importantly the Board is responsible for creating and adopting a yearly budget for the county.
Party affiliation
Sessions
2020
In 2020, the Board chose Commissioner Mary J. Amoroso to serve as chair of the board, Dr. Joan M. Voss as Vice Chair, and Steven A. Tanelli as Chair Pro Tempore.
2019
In 2019, the Board chose Commissioner Germaine Ortiz to serve as chair of the board, making her the first Latina to do so.
This was also the first time that the Board had been entirely led by women: Mary Amoroso serving as Vice Chair and Joan Voss and Chair Pro-tempore.
Previous sessions
References
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Bergen County, New Jersey
County government in New Jersey