The Arnone Report: Freeholder Director Tom Arnone’s Update on Monmouth County Government

By Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

I hope everyone is staying warm, happy and healthy this winter season. It sure has been cold the last few days but on the bright side, summer is only a little more than 100 days away!

It has been an eventful few weeks at the County. During our last Freeholder meeting, the Freeholders honored the new Ms. Wheelchair New Jersey, Millie Gonzalez from Union Beach. Millie’s accomplishments are incredible and she is a true inspiration to us all for overcoming so many obstacles and achieving her goals. The Board looks forward to continuing our support for her in Little Rock, Arkansas where she will compete in the Ms. Wheelchair America 2020 competition this July!

On another note, I want to congratulate Geoff Karch on the grand opening of his new business, the Colts Neck StillHouse. My colleagues and I attended the ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening last week. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and it is always great to support new businesses that join our Grown in Monmouth family. It’s equally important to maintain our great relationship with the small business community and assist where we can.

Speaking of local businesses, we are less than three months away from our ninth annual Made in Monmouth event, which will return April 13 at Monmouth University. Last year, we had over 5,000 shoppers and more than 260 vendors all selling items made right here in Monmouth County. Serving as liaison to the Monmouth County Division of Economic Development, I take great pride in hosting events like Made in Monmouth and I look forward to seeing you all there!

On a separate note, my Healthy Eating Initiative started back up last week after taking a break for a month during the holidays. The students were so excited to be back and get back to their projects at the farm. Currently, the students are working on their gardens which they will create at their school. Last week they brainstormed with one another about what types of plants will be best to grow in their gardens. I am excited to see what the students come up with and to visit their gardens.

Besides continuing with my Healthy Eating Initiative, I also continued with my school visits. This month I visited with the students at Memorial Middle School in Eatontown and spoke with them about the roles of County government and my job as the Freeholder Director. I’ve had a great time this school year so far meeting with the students and teachers throughout the County and I look forward to continuing my visits for the remainder of the school year!

As always, it’s a privilege to serve as your Freeholder Director.