Press Contact: Stuart Brown, Township Manager
(732) 583-4200, ext.117.

For Immediate Release

ABERDEEN TO HONOR LONG TIME FREEHOLDER AND FORMER COUNCILMEMBER & MAYOR TOM POWERS ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM COUNTY FREEHOLDERS

  ABERDEEN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (2/01/06) – At its February 7 th meeting, The Aberdeen Township Council will honor long time Freeholder and former Councilmember and Mayor Tom Powers, who recently retired from the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders after more than 38 years of local and county service.

Mr. Powers moved to Matawan Township (now Aberdeen Township ) in 1962. He was elected to the Township Council in 1967, serving as a Councilman for 10 years and as Mayor for four years before being elected to the Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1981. He had been re-elected to the county's governing body seven times and became Freeholder Director in 2004 after serving as Deputy Director for more than 16 years.

As a Freeholder, Mr. Powers played a key role in bringing many improvements to Monmouth County, including a new Police Academy, the growth of Brookdale Community College, the construction of the western branch of the Monmouth County library in Manalapan (which is the largest library in the state), and the growth of the County's Vocational and Technical School system. Additionally, during his years of county service, thousands of acres of land were saved through Open Space and Farmland Preservation acquisitions.

His other roles over the years have included positions as president of the New Jersey Association of Counties in 1992, and serving on such groups as the Bayshore Mayors Association, the Human Services Advisory Board, and the North Jersey Transportation Coordinating Council. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus and the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials, working as a high school basketball referee for more than 25 years. A United States Army veteran, Mr. Powers served in the Special Services unit in Germany from 1954 to 1956.

He is also very active in the Irish-American community of Central New Jersey, including the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of the Jersey Shore , and the Irish Federation. His service to the Irish American community earned him the title of “Irishman of the Year” by the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh.

Mr. Powers and his wife, Barbara, reside in Wall Township . They are the parents of six children and 17 grandchildren.

####