FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – A new township clerk has been appointed in Freehold Township.
On May 28, the Township Committee named Sanabel Abouzenia as township clerk, succeeding Terri Patino, who retired.
Following the committee’s action, the oath of office was administered to Abouzenia. She will serve a three-year term from June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2022, after which she may be reappointed by the governing body.
Abouzenia has been employed by Freehold Township for six years and previously worked in the tax office and at the reception desk.
In 2017, when Patino was appointed as the township clerk, Abouzenia was named the deputy township clerk. Patino had been serving as the deputy township clerk before being promoted.
The committee’s resolution states that “Sanabel Abouzeina has effectively been serving as deputy township clerk since June 1, 2017. [She] is certified in this position and highly qualified in the operations of the township clerk’s office.”
“It’s very exciting and an honor to have this role,” Abouzenia said after the meeting. “I’m thankful for the Township Committee and (Township Administrator) Peter Valesi for giving me the position.”
Committee members appointed Kristin Bartolomeo as the new deputy township clerk. She will serve in that position through Dec. 31, after which she may be reappointed.
According to Freehold Township’s municipal website, the township clerk’s office is responsible for the recording, preparation and safe keeping of the official minutes of Township Committee meetings and other official records of the township, including resolutions and ordinances.
The township clerk is the local administrator for primary, general, school and special elections held in Freehold Township. There are a variety of licenses, permits and registrations that are administrated by the township clerk’s office.
In other business, committee members appointed Abouzenia as Freehold Township’s deputy registrar of vital statistics, alongside Laura Ortiz Flores as registrar of vital statistics, Cathy Johnson as alternate deputy registrar of vital statistics and Andrea Trozzi as sub-registrar of deputy statistics.
Each appointment is for a three-year term that commences on June 1, 2019 and expires on May 31, 2022. Committee members may reappoint each individual after their terms expire.
