Union County Freeholder Angel Estrada became the first Latino Chair of the NJTPA when he was elected at the Board of Trustees meeting today.
“I am honored that the Board of Trustees has entrusted me with the position of Chair and I am eager to continue the great work of the NJTPA, and I’m honored to follow the footsteps of Freeholder Palmer, and I really sincerely mean that” Freeholder Estrada said.
Freeholder Estrada noted that he came to the United States from Cuba as a refugee when he was 10 years old.
“Only a country like ours can recognize and understand that I as an immigrant have come through this process to [become] … the first Latino sitting at this table and it isn’t because none of them wanted to but the reality is … it is not easy. It’s not easy for women. That’s why I’m happy to see women participating on this board. That’s something to remember,” he said
Freeholder Estrada has been an NJTPA trustee since 2012 and served as a Board alternate before that. He has served as Chair of the NJTPA’s Project Prioritization Committee since 2016. He previously served as Chair of the Planning and Economic Development Committee in 2014.
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| Executive Committee Members (from left to right): Hunterdon County Freeholder Matthew Holt, First Vice-Chair; Morris County Freeholder Kathryn DeFillippo, Third Vice-Chair; Passaic County Freeholder John Bartlett, Second Vice-Chair; Union County Freeholder Angel Estrada, Chair; Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Secretary. |
In addition to Freeholder Estrada becoming Chair, the Board elected Hunterdon County Freeholder Matthew Holt First Vice-Chair; Passaic County Freeholder John Bartlett Second Vice-Chair; and Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Board Secretary. In accordance with the bylaws, Freeholder Estrada appointed Morris County Freeholder Kathryn A. DeFillippo to the position of Third Vice-Chair.
The Executive Committee provides guidance and leadership to the full Board on a wide range of planning, policy and administrative issues. It meets as needed to review financial, personnel and policy matters. Board membership is an uncompensated position.
The Board paid tribute to outgoing Chair Peter Palmer, a former Somerset County Freeholder who did not seek re-election last year. Palmer first joined the Board in 1999 and founded the Freight Initiatives Committee in 2002. He twice served as chairman, from 2004-2005 and from 2016-2017.
“I wish all of my colleagues on the Board the best of luck going forward and I encourage the new administration in Trenton to see the NJTPA for what it is: A truly bipartisan body of elected officials and agency heads working closely together with a common goal in mind — to improve transportation across all modes so that everyone who lives, works and travels in our region can thrive,” he said.
[January 22, 2018]