The days are numbered for the New Jersey freeholders.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill on Friday to end the use of freeholds as titles for counties. Under the new measure, all current freelance positions will be reinstated as “provincial commissioners” beginning early next year. In addition, the term “boards of elected trustees” will be replaced by “boards of provincial commissioners.”
The changes will take effect on January 1, 2021. Counties will have one year from this date to update letterheads, letterhead, and other writings. Signs and other items representing the term freeholder should not be replaced in that year as doing so would require the province to spend extra money. In such cases, the replacements can be done at a later date as part of normal business.
“We have an obligation to ensure that governance in New Jersey is inclusive and representative of the great diversity of our great state,” Murphy said in a statement. “Amid a nationwide bill to re-examine remnants rooted in structural racism, this action will eliminate the use of the term ‘Liberal’ in the province’s province – a title that a outgrowth is a time when people of color and women were excluded from public office. “
The move to reduce the use of freehold comes after years of debate, fueled by the racist underpinnings of the title. The centuries-old term was first considered when only white, male landowners could be elected to public office.
The pressure to stop the use of freeholders made it to the finish line when state legislators passed the bill (S855) and sent it to Murphy’s office on July 30. Momentum of the national account with systemic racism passed the account through.
“As we work to bring justice and equality to all Americans, we must recognize that symbolism is important,” said State President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester). ‘The public function title of’ freeholder ‘covers a legacy of bigotry that deprived groups of Americans and denied them full rights and equal opportunities. We should be there to eradicate all remnants of oppression that are unjust and divisive. “
Sweeney sponsored the bill in the state Senate, along with state sen. Joseph Pennacchio (R-Morris) and state sen. Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth.)
“The reform is long overdue,” Pennacchio said. “Since 2011 when I first introduced the measure, the interest of the Legislature has been lukewarm. This bill is an improvement that will help residents recognize who they can turn to if they need help from local government. Instead of concentrating on the definition, people will do all the great work that our provincial commissioners can better recognize and appreciate.
Murphy, Sweeney and Speaker Craig Coughlin, state assembly, announced their support for ending freeholder use in early July.
New Jersey is the last state in the nation to use the term free agent. Each of the state’s 21 counties has a board of elected governors, elected by voters, to oversee county parks, prisons, roads and more.
The name is derived from an English legal term of the 15th century, referring to a person who had land free of debt, mortgage or loan.
That was transferred to pre-revolutionary America. The first constitution of New Jersey, written in 1776, declared that a representative of the county should be entitled to “fifty-pound proclamation money, clear estate in the same, and have resided in the county in which they vote twelve months prior to the elections. “
Having a “clear estate” means you were the owner – or “freeholder” – of property.
Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. Plus, possession of property during that period could include having slaves.
“Changing the title of ‘Freelancer’ is long overdue. “People know that the term is offensive and refers to a time when only white male landowners could have a public office,” said lt. Governor Sheila Oliver in a statement. ‘As a former Freemason, I was fully aware that this title was not inclusive of African-American women like myself. History is constantly evolving, and our terminology must adhere to it in order to reflect where we as a society are. “
This story was renewed at 3pm after Murphy signed the bill into law.
NJ Advance Media staff reporter Sophie Nieto-Munoz contributed to this report.
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Michael Sol Warren may have been reached at [email protected].
