Former Howell principal begins freeholder term

Freeholder Barbara J. McMorrow swears the oath of office as her husband, Patrick, holds the Bible.

FREEHOLD - Barbara J. McMorrow, a former teacher and principal at Howell High School, was sworn in to a three-year term on the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders last week.

At the same time, Rosemarie D. Peters, a former mayor of Middletown, took the oath of office as county surrogate.

During the 2007 annual organization meeting that immediately followed the swearing-in ceremony, Freeholder William C. Barham was reappointed director of the board and Freeholder Lillian G. Burry was named deputy director.

"I am very grateful to the people of Monmouth County who have entrusted me with the job of looking out for their interests on the county level," McMorrow said. "The campaign is over and I intend to build bridges so that, together with my colleagues, we can move forward in a bipartisan fashion to continue to make sure Monmouth County remains a great place to live and work."

In addition to Barham and Burry, McMorrow joins freeholders Robert D. Clifton and Anna C. Little on the five-member board.

McMorrow, who lives in Freehold Township, replaces Theodore J. Narozan-ick, a longtime freeholder and county administrator. Narozanick did not seek re-election after serving on the board for 21 years. Before that he was county administrator for 27 years.

After thanking her supporters, McMorrow outlined some of her immediate goals: forming a bipartisan committee to review the county budget with an eye toward savings, and holding public budget meetings at various locations around the county prior to its adoption.

"Taking the budget on the road is so important in order to provide an opportunity for people to come out and see how their tax dollars are being spent as well as give their input to the board," McMorrow said. "It's all about opening the lines of communication and involving people in the budget process. That's important."

Those budget meetings will not be scheduled until late February or early March, she said.

McMorrow also wants to establish a student journalism program, working with area high schools and coordinated through the county's Department of Public Information, to get students more interested in how their local government works and, at the same time, teaching them to write news that provides a real public service.

"Young people aren't reading newspapers and, as a result, important local meetings go unreported, leaving all of us somewhat in the dark," McMorrow said. "If students get tuned in to reporting the news, we can publish it in a Web blog or on the county's Web site. We will all benefit by reading those kinds of stories."

Barham and Burry welcomed McMorrow to the freeholder board and expressed confidence that they can work together as a team for the betterment of Monmouth County.

"Monmouth County is more than just a governmental entity; it is where we all live and work and go about our lives," Barham said. "Monmouth County is our home and we are proud to call it our home because we know we have the best parks, the best schools, the best library system and the best services of any county in New Jersey. I look forward to working with Barbara to make government more affordable and to preserve our quality of life."

McMorrow worked in the Freehold Regional High School District for more than 30 years, beginning her career as a teacher of English at Freehold High School, Freehold Borough. She was supervisor of the English Department at Howell High School, and then assistant principal and principal until she retired in 2003. She is a former member of the Borough Council in Freehold Borough.

In November, McMorrow became the first Democrat to be elected to the board of freeholders in more than two decades when she defeated Manalapan Township Committeeman Andrew Lucas in the race for a three-year term. The Republicans hold a 4-1 majority on the county's governing body. McMorrow's term will run through Dec. 31, 2009.