Two new Morris County freeholders take oath of office

MORRISTOWN - Christine Myers and Deborah Smith were sworn to their first terms as Morris County freeholders during a festive board reorganization Sunday at which board members cited business growth, stable taxes and increased security as goals for 2016.

"This is the first year, the first time in Morris County history there are three women on the freeholder board," noted Freeholder Director Kathy DeFillippo, who was unanimously selected by her colleagues to lead the seven-member, all-Republican board for a second consecutive year as director.

As a crowd of about 150 well-wishers observed,  Myers, of Mendham Township, was sworn in to her first, three-year term by U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-Morris, and Smith, a former longtime Denville councilwoman, was sworn in by state Tax Court Judge Vito Bianco, with whom Smith served on the Denville Council in the 1990s.

Parsippany resident John Cesaro was sworn in to his second term by state Sen. Joseph Pennacchio, R-Montville, and Freeholder William "Hank" Lyon also was administered an oath by friend and attorney Donald Dinsmore after his colleagues selected him to serve as deputy freeholder director.

Board members took turns recollecting accomplishments of 2015 and forecast challenges they expect to encounter this year, including costly, voter-approved bail reform, attracting more businesses to Morris County and keeping alert to potential security risks.

Freeholder Douglas Cabana announced that "a major initiative for 2016" will focus on homeland security. He said that the county Office of Emergency Management has developed a "rescue task force program" that focuses on multi-faced training for local police, fire and emergency medical service responders to effectively deal with casualties from a potentially devastating incident. The county will spend more than $500,000 this year in Homeland Security grant funds to train first responders "to quickly treat the injured and save lives."

"We learned from the tragic attack in San Bernadino that we all must be vigilant during this volatile time in world history.  Morris County is not immune from this violence," Cabana said.

Myers, Cesaro and Freeholder Thomas Mastrangelo said attracting and retaining businesses will be a priority, while Mastrangelo cited several examples of large corporations making Morris County their home last year, including Honeywell, which opted not to leave Morris but to relocate to Morris Plains, and GAF, a 600-employee firm that moved from out-of-county to Parsippany.

"Without growth, we put undue burden on our taxpayers," Myers said. "With growth we can achieve that strategic plan, we can invest in ourselves, invest in our county that has brought us 275 years to date to be this unique place."

Cesaro said he also expects to delve further into making sure the board maintains its integrity while doing business with multiple entities and corporations.

"We always need to ensure the path we are choosing is the right one," Cesaro said.

DeFillippo, the board director, said she believed the board accomplished significant goals last year, including resolving for a third year in a row to keep the tax levy -- amount to be raised by taxes -- at zero percent, while maintaining a AAA bond rating. Nearly 30 miles of county roads were paved last year and the county settled litigation over its solar energy projects, "something none of us was completely happy about but a difficult decision that had to be made," she said.

"This year, it will be critical that we, as the county's elected representatives, step up and be the leaders that residents of Morris County sent us here to be.  To me, that means doing the hard work and making difficult decisions instead of taking the politically expedient route," DeFillippo said.

Smith drew laughs when she said she will give a speech after she has a bit of time to serve on the board.

Lyon said he expects to maintain a tradition of the freeholders meeting with municipal mayors.

"These conversations with municipal officials promote strong working relationships which allows us to better serve our constituents," Lyon said.

   Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com.