Freeholder John C. Bartlett, Jr.
Chairman: Finance and
Parks & Recreation
Term Expires: 12/31/2015
Contact: 732-929-2116

Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr., was sworn into his 12th three-year term on the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders during the Board’s Jan. 2 organization meeting.

Bartlett, a longtime resident of Pine Beach, is known for his staunch fiscal policies and his continuing work to maintain and provide open space for county residents.

Freeholder Bartlett is the senior member of the Board. He is Chairman of the county’s Department of Finance, and Parks and Recreation. He also serves as liaison to the county’s Natural Lands Trust Fund program. He served as Deputy Director of the Board in 2012.

During his tenure, he has closely worked with department heads and the administration to produce county budgets that provide the funding for essential services to residents that also are affordable. He established an aggressive debt reduction program while still providing money for new capital projects and a stable county tax rate. Under his leadership the county has received a AAA bond rating, the highest possible which helps save money on interest rates.

Also, during his time on the board, the county parks department has grown to include 27 different park sites including two golf courses. Under his leadership, park facilities range from sports field complexes, to off-leash dog parks, and general recreational areas for all residents. The County in 2009 opened its newest park - Jakes Branch County Park in Beachwood - and in 2010 completed extensive renovations to Tip Seaman County Park in Tuckerton.

Under his direction, the County also provides an extensive recreation program through its Parks and Recreation Department, offering programs for residents of all ages.

As liaison to Ocean County College, Freeholder Bartlett is a staunch supporter of quality and affordable education. He closely works with the college on various projects and is a champion of the Ocean County College and Kean University Partnership. He is a recipient of the College’s Distinguished Service Medal.

The Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund, approved by voters in 1997, has resulted in more than 16,171 acres of environmentally sensitive lands and farmlands being preserved in the county with many more applications under review. Freeholder Bartlett’s land conservation efforts resulted in his receiving the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award in 2006.

Freeholder Bartlett was born in Lakewood and has been a resident of the riverfront community of Pine Beach since 1947. He became a member of the Pine Beach Council in 1974 and was elected Mayor there in 1978. Freeholder Bartlett served as vice president of the Southern New Jersey Freeholders Association for the year 2003.

Freeholder Bartlett served as Director of the Board of Freeholders in 1982, 1988, 1992 and 1997 and 2009. He served as Deputy Director in 2002 and 2006.

Freeholder Bartlett had worked as a teacher at Toms River High School North. He is a graduate of the inaugural class of Ocean County College, Toms River Township, where he received his Associates Degree. He received his Bachelors Degree from Western Maryland College, where he earned departmental honors in political science. He received his Masters Degree in Political Science from the Graduate School of Public Affairs, State University of New York at Albany in 1970.

Freeholder Bartlett and his wife, Peggy, have two adult children John C. III and Margaret.