Commissioner Jason J. Sarnoski was named Director for the year and Commissioner Lori Ciesla tapped as Deputy Director as the Warren County Board of County Commissioners held their annual reorganization meeting in the Warren County Courthouse today.
Commissioner James R. Kern III, re-elected last November, was surrounded by family members as Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. administered the oath of office for Kern’s third three-year term on the board.
Kern was joined at the front of the historic Courtroom 1 by his wife, Carina Sitkus; his parents, Joan and Jim Kern, Jr.; his sister, Elizabeth McGuinness; and niece and nephews Caylee, Chris, and Charlie McGuinness.
Kern noted that at last year’s reorganization meeting, “I had some pretty ambitious goals for Warren County, and we were able to achieve them.”
In the past year, the County has made the largest investment in public safety in recent memory, which will help first responders stay safer and do their jobs, Kern noted. He also announced the Commissions’ Conservation Challenge a year ago, and in 2024 Warren County became the first county in New Jersey to be certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.
Warren County continues to be a leader in farmland preservation in New Jersey, Kern said, while other achievements include the opening of a new building to house county Social Services and Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Warren County, while construction is underway to completely rebuild the Catherine Dickson Hofman Branch of the Warren County Library system, which will open this spring.
Kern also touted the new county government newsletter, Warren County Chronicle, as a way to keep residents informed.
Both Kern and Sarnoski referred to Warren County’s recent effort to spur an update to the way governments publish legal notices, and legislation signed this week temporarily allows publishing in a newspaper’s online edition, as many news organizations abandon their print editions and go with digital publication only.
“Jim and NJAC (New Jersey Association of Counties) led the charge in suing to make sure the public has access to information that they deserve,” Sarnoski said.
Looking back on his 14 years on the board as he gets ready for his fifth stint as Director and prepares to run for a sixth term, Sarnoski said he realized, “This is one of the most impactful and historic boards that I have been on. Not only are we leaders of this county, but we hold leadership positions on statewide boards.” Kern is on NJAC’s executive committee while Sarnoski is a long-time representative on the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and is in line to become its chairman.
The commissioners have used their influence to improve not only Warren County but the state as well, Sarnoski said.
Sarnoski said that when he becomes NJTPA Chairman he will have more authority to fight wasteful spending like the proposed Route 80 rockfall mitigation project, and push for projects in Warren County that have been critically underfunded and delayed by the state.
Sarnoski noted that as of July of this year, Warren County will be completely debt-free. “We will continue our pay-as-you-go philosophy that has protected the taxpayers’ pocketbooks while building a strong and resilient county,” Sarnoski said.
In the coming year, Sarnoski said he plans to continue to reduce taxes and invest in farmland preservation to keep the county rural. “This board has been careful and prudent with your tax dollars,” he noted.
“As the county enters its 200th year … I want to say how proud and honored I am to have been a little part of this great county’s history,” Sarnoski added.
Commissioner Lori Ciesla noted that the County is now in its bicentennial year, as the celebration kicked off with a gala last November marking the 200th anniversary of the November 1824 legislation that divided the southern section of Sussex County in a new county. More events are planned for 2025 to mark the two centuries that Warren County has existed, she said.
All three commissioners praised the state and federal legislators who represent Warren in Trenton and Washington, DC, while also applauding the county government staff for their efforts.
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