Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski has been an advocate for parks, education, and community service for most of her life. Since her election to the Board in 2004, she has built on that commitment. While serving as Freeholder chairwoman in 2007, she promoted numerous initiatives for shared services to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of county services. Along with her colleagues on the Fiscal Affairs Committee, she ensures that Union County continues its high quality, cost effective service.

She has served as the Freeholder liaison to the Human Services Advisory Council during a time of economic and social challenges. In response to the crisis, the Freeholder Board and county staff initiated the award-winning Code Blue program to house the homeless during severe weather, and approved one of the state’s first Homeless Prevention Trust Funds.

As a member of the Open Space, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund, she has worked with the Freeholder Board to add hundreds of acres of land to the Union County parks system, preserved for public recreation and nature conservation.

A supporter of the arts, Freeholder Kowalski regularly attends concerts and art shows by Union County’s diverse community, including seniors, teens, children, and people of many ethnic backgrounds. She has served on the board of the Union County Center for the Performing Arts and works to promote the arts at every opportunity.

Freeholder Kowalski has championed ballot initiatives to extend state funding for open space and recreation. The liaison to the Department of Parks and Community Renewal, she participates in the Adopt-a-Park and Adopt-a-Trail programs, as well as the annual BioBlitz programs, which evaluate the health of the county’s natural environment. A member of the Cranford River Committee, she regularly helps at river cleanups and other projects.

Recently, Ms. Kowalski served on the Workforce Investment Board and the Raritan Valley Railroad Coalition. Additional commitments have been with the Cultural and Heritage Programs Advisory Board, the Advisory Board on Education, Policy and Administrative Code Committee, the Economic Development Committee, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Committee on the Status of Libraries, and the Union County Animal Shelter Committee.

Freeholder Kowalski grew up in Cranford and graduated with honors from Cranford High School. She has a Master's degree in Journalism from New York University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Hunter College, where she graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. As an editor and writer, Ms. Kowalski has worked for numerous publications, including New York Newsday, the Village Voice, and World Press Review. She is married and lives in Cranford.

A resident of Fanwood, Freeholder Alexander Mirabella brings experience in business and public service to the Board of Chosen Freeholders.

First elected in 1997, he is serving his fifth three-year term on the board. He has served as Chairman in 2001, 2006, and 2009. In 2001, Freeholder Mirabella helped implement the Open Space, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund and saw some of the largest increases in Union County parkland in many generations. He also oversaw the expansion of the County's Office of Veterans Affairs.

Freeholder Mirabella was also the chairman of the County's 9-11 Memorial Committee, which in 2003 dedicated a memorial in Echo Lake Park to the Union County residents killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Also in 2003, he led the Board's efforts to provide benefits and compensation to County workers called to active military duty.

The Union County Library Directors honored Freeholder Mirabella in 2001 for his advocacy on behalf of libraries, including the development and implementation of the Union County Access 2002 Library Link Program which distributed grants to 19 municipal libraries to upgrade technological infrastructure.

As Chairman of the Freeholder Board in 2006, his “Community Connections” initiatives included the introduction of mobile Freeholder meetings in the community; the preservation of open space in Clark; and the provision of more than 40 life-saving defibrillators to public buildings and centers. The County also began progress toward the creation of an animal shelter, and put together a shared services committee to explore cost-savings for taxpayers.

Freeholder Mirabella’s 2009 initiatives included infrastructure planning, workforce development, and sustainability measures that helped to leverage millions of dollars in federal stimulus aid for job-creating transportation, community development and energy efficiency projects. Freeholder Mirabella also organized the first Italian-American flag raising event for Columbus Day this past year.

He has served on the Veterans Affairs Committee, the Fire Services Advisory Board, the Industrial Pollution Control Authority and the Union County Vocational-Technical School Board of Education. In 2007 Freeholder Mirabella was awarded the prestigious Alan Augustine award from Union County’s Prevention Links in recognition of his outstanding support of drug and alcohol prevention. He has also been honored by Community Access Unlimited for his efforts on behalf of the disabled.

Freeholder Mirabella was first elected to the Roselle Park Borough Council in 1991 and served until 1996. He was Council President in 1994 and 1995. He graduated from Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y. with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics. Freeholder Mirabella is an Assistant Vice President, employed by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. He and his wife, Phyllis, a former Councilwoman in Roselle Park, have a son, Alexander, and a daughter, Micayla.

Freeholder Angel G. Estrada was first elected to the Freeholder Board in 1999. He served as Freeholder Chairman in 2004 and Vice Chairman the previous year. He was re-elected to a fourth term in 2008. Freeholder Estrada was the first Latino elected to the Freeholder Board and has more than 30 years of business and public service experience.

A long-time education advocate, Freeholder Estrada was elected to the Elizabeth Board of Education in 1994 and re-elected in 1997. He fought overcrowding in the city's classrooms by securing state funds for expansion and renovations, and brought college recruiters to Elizabeth’s schools to encourage students to pursue higher education. Long before his election to the school board, Freeholder Estrada was active in community issues and served for many years as a member of several Parent-Teacher Organizations, often as president.

As Freeholder Chairman in 2008, he presided over the expansion of shared county-local services, Phase III of the Workforce Competitiveness Project, and Go Green, a comprehensive environmental program. As a Freeholder, he has also been instrumental in Union County’s Open Space Preservation and a county-local drive to plant 1,200 trees in the 21 municipalities. He has worked with the private and non-profit sectors to fund youth recreation and help municipalities improve athletic fields, and he worked with the United Way of Greater Union County to bring the 211 information line to the county.

Freeholder Estrada also supported the Freeholder Scholars initiative, which provides scholarships to Union County College for eligible residents. He helped implement the Access 2000 initiative, providing school districts with funds for computers, Internet access, and technology education for teachers.

As chairman of the Open Space Trust Fund Committee in 2005, Freeholder Estrada oversaw the distribution of more than $1.4 million for Children’s Recreation and Historic Preservation. He currently serves as Chairman of the Fiscal Affairs Committee.

Freeholder Estrada works closely with Latino community organizations to bring their voices and concerns to the Freeholder Board. He served on the Elizabeth Housing Authority for five years in the capacity of member, vice chairman and chairman and is a board member of the Selective Service System. During 2007 Freeholder Estrada was elected Vice President of the National Association of Hispanic County Officials.

He is currently a Manager of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission’s office in Elizabeth. Freeholder Estrada emigrated from Cuba to the United States 48 years ago and has made Elizabeth his home ever since. He earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Spanish from Kean College (now Kean University) in Union. Freeholder Estrada and his wife, Teresa, have three children: Liliana, Jorge, Daniel, and a grandson.

He also initiated the Trailside roving Environmental Education van that brings exhibits from Trailside Nature and Science Center to schools and community centers. In 2007, as a member of the 150th Union County Anniversary Ad Hoc Committee, he helped to plan a yearlong series of commemorative events.

Freeholder Proctor also serves on the Union County Local Emergency Planning Council, the Union County Advisory Board on the Disabled, the Industrial Pollution Control Authority, the Union County Alliance, the Mental Health Advisory Board, and he chairs the Freeholder Homeland Security Committee. In 2009, he was the catalyst who brought together Freeholders from four counties and city officials from Newark and Jersey City for the first time under the Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Security and Defense Executive Education Seminar to discuss Homeland Security issues common to all the members of the North Jersey Urban Area Security Initiative.

He previously served as Director of the Department of Health and Human Services for the Township of Bloomfield for 18 years, where he introduced innovative services, made the department more efficient and improved its delivery of services. Elected to four terms on the Rahway Board of Education, he served as Board President in 1984 and Vice President in 1980 and 1981.

Freeholder Proctor was appointed to the Freeholder Board in February 2002. He was elected to a full three-year term in November 2002 and re-elected in 2005 and 2008. He served as Chairman of the Freeholder Board in 2005 and Vice Chairman in 2004.

In 2008, Freeholder Proctor earned a Master of Arts degree in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Masters Degree program at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He has a Master of Science degree in Management from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Washington and Lee University.

In addition to focusing on economic development countywide, Freeholder Van Blake also strongly supports important quality of life services, including the renovation of Cedar Brook, Echo Lake, and other County parks, as well as paratransit, Meals-on-Wheels, the Senior Home Improvement Program, and other services for the elderly and disabled. Another priority is transportation improvements such as the new County-run shuttle bus on Route 22.

A lifelong resident of Plainfield, Freeholder Van Blake was elected to the Plainfield City Council in 2002 by an overwhelming 2-1 margin. He served as the City Council President and in 2006 he served as Chairman of the Committee as a Whole. During his tenure at City Council he focused on economic development projects in Plainfield such as the new Senior Center, the Seidler Field and Rushmore Park public pools renovations, and the Park-Madison Redevelopment project.

Freeholder Van Blake attended Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on a Lehigh Football Scholarship and a Jack Barnett Academic Scholarship. He spent his junior year studying abroad at the University of Nottingham in Nottingham, England, and received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from Lehigh University in 1998.

Freeholder Van Blake works professionally as an actor and has appeared on television and in advertisements.

Freeholder Jalloh has become a staunch advocate for education. He served as an undergraduate teaching assistant while at Syracuse and he conducted research about the world origins of rhetoric. His research later became a part of the Communications Department’s core curriculum. Now he continues this advocacy for education as an adjunct Professor at Kean University, where he teaches negotiation, debate, citizenship, public speaking and communications law. Additionally, he volunteers as a member of the Advisory Board for Saint Joseph the Carpenter Middle School in Roselle and he is a volunteer youth mentor in public speaking and drama for the NAACP ACT-SO program.

Freeholder Jalloh has worked for both the Northwest Jersey and Essex Newark Legal Services programs, where he had the privilege of representing low-income individuals in matters involving family law, consumer and housing laws, and domestic violence. He has also worked as an Assistant County Counsel for the County of Union dealing primarily with contracts, tort litigation and government regulations.

As a Union County Freeholder, Mohamed Jalloh will continue his efforts to support educational opportunities and ensure the safety of Union County’s citizens. He believes in working to ensure efficiency in government while maintaining a level of service to the community that is second to none. Additionally, he will use his legal experience and insights to improve the economic climate and protect the quality of life for the residents and businesses of Union County.

Vice Chairman Scanlon has been a strong advocate for women, children and families in need. Through various workforce development programs, she has been instrumental in connecting job seekers with businesses. During her tenure as freeholder she worked with numerous committees, advisory boards and associations.

Since 2006, Vice Chairman Scanlon has served on the Union County Shade Tree committee. The Bureau of Shade Tree and Conservation offers free trees to schools and sponsors the “Young Writers of Union County” poetry contest for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students.

She has served as liaison to Runnells Specialized Hospital. She is a strong supporter for maintaining the hospital’s status as the state’s premier County-run health care facility. She also served on advisory boards for hospice and home health care, juvenile justice and voter accessibility.

Vice Chairman Scanlon is a former member of the Union Township Board of Education, where she served as Finance Chair, liaison to the Union County School Boards Association and representative to the Union Township committee.

She was born and raised in Summit and moved to Union in 1983. She is married to Patrick Scanlon, former Mayor of Union and former member of the Union Township Committee. She and Patrick reside in Union Township. They have three children Tammie, Lisa and Patrick IV and six grandchildren.

He has helped Union County maintain its high bond rating and develop innovative programs that impact the lives of more than 500,000 residents in 21 municipalities. He helped develop events like Jersey Jazz by the Lake (now known as MusicFest) and economic development initiatives such as the Park Madison and the Jersey Gardens Mall.

Freeholder Sullivan also developed three very successful initiatives: Project Pocket Parks, which provided millions of dollars in matching grants to municipalities for improving parks, athletic fields and playgrounds; Access 2000, which provided grants to school districts to ensure all students have access to computers and high-speed internet connections; and HEART Grants (History, Education and Arts Reaching Thousands) to highlight Union County’s history and arts.

While serving on the Board, Freeholder Sullivan has been chairman of the Union County Economic Development Committee and the Fiscal Affairs Committee. He has also served on the Community Development Block Grant Committee, the Transportation Advisory Board, and the Labor Advisory Board.

Freeholder Sullivan is the Assistant Chief Administrator for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and is a member of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, which he chaired in 2007. He is a graduate of Seton Hall University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Government.

Freeholder Sullivan began his public service career when he was elected to the Elizabeth Board of Education in 1993. He served as President and Vice President of the Board and Chairman of the Finance Committee and the subcommittee on Security. He and his wife, Connie, have three children: Brendan, Kristen and Daniel.

In 1992, Ms. Ward began her professional career as a Law Associate for Schnirman and Charney in Linden. Within two years, she opened her own law practice and currently specializes in personal injury law, workers compensation law, landlord/tenancy law and cooperative housing law.

As 2008 chair of the Open Space, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund, Ms. Ward supported milestone achievements including acquisition of the 150-acre Clark Reservoir and the adjacent Hungarian Club property, and the opening of Esposito Farm Park. She has served as liaison to the AIDS Advisory Council, the Local Advisory Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and the Union County Planning Board, and chaired the Shared Services Committee. Ms. Ward also introduced new initiatives for dealing with the problem of violent gangs, and in 2010 she created and introduced “Christopher’s Program,” the first partnership between Union County and the family part of the New Jersey Superior Court.

Freeholder Ward is a past member of the Linden Economic Development Corporation. She was a regular supporter of former Mayor Gregorio’s Humanitarian Fund which provided aid to families in dire financial hardship.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, she volunteered her legal services at Liberty State Park in Jersey City where she received recognition from John Farmer, Jr., the Attorney General of the State of New Jersey.

An American citizen by birth, Freeholder Ward lived in Ireland for several years, returning to the United States when she was 13 years of age. She has been a supporter of the Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade since its inception in 1997. She also has been a regular volunteer at the annual Halloween and Christmas parties at the Morning Star Senior Citizen Community Building in Linden.