Lillian Burry, County Commissioner, Honored In Colts Neck Ceremony

COLTS NECK, NJ — As longtime Monmouth County Commissioner and former Director Lillian G. Burry ends her term in office this month, among her accolades was a recent proclamation of appreciation from the Colts Neck Township Committee.

The Monmouth County commissioner (now serving her sixth, three-year term), former Colts Neck mayor and avid supporter of historic preservation in the county is stepping down from the county board at the end of this week.

Her many accomplishments were noted in the proclamation, presented by the Township Committee Dec. 13:

Sue Fitzpatrick, Mayor of Colts Neck Township, along with all members of the Township Committee, "do hereby honor Mrs. Lillian G. Burry for her decades of service and commitment to Colts Neck Township and Monmouth County. We share the pride of all Colts Neck residents in honoring Mrs. Burry on providing positive contributions toward the betterment of the citizens of Colts Neck Township," the proclamation read.

And while Burry has not as yet had a formal send-off at the the Board of County Commissioners, at least one of her supporters is hoping the board takes the opportunity of Burry's birthday Jan. 15 to recognize her.

"I believe Lillian Burry deserves her own day in Monmouth County and what better day than her upcoming birthday on Jan. 15?" said Michele Battista, administrator of Colts Neck Realty, the business Burry began more than 40 years ago.

"I have worked with this incredible woman since 2016 and have known of her valuable work since I have lived in Colts Neck Township since 1993. No one has done more for Monmouth County than Lillian Burry. Her wealth of knowledge and especially her vast network helped her to accomplish her objectives," Battista said.

Information immediately available on any plans for a recognition on the county level. The board's reorganization meeting is Jan. 4. Its next regular meeting is Jan. 11.

But Burry's hometown - the place she helped govern - offered generous recognition in a proclamation that recounted her personal, governmental and professional history.

The commissioner was also recognized by the Borough of Oceanport recently. It declared Dec. 21, 2023, as "Lillian G. Burry Day" in recognition of "long and exemplary career in public service and her unfailing, altruistic commitment and dedication to making the world around her a better place, and (to) further celebrate her accomplishments and extend to her our deepest appreciation for being such a marvelous representative for her constituents."

The New Jersey Republican State Committee also recognized Burry as a 2023 "Woman of the Year."

Here are some of Burry's accomplishments, as cited in the Colts Neck proclamation:

• County Commissioner Lillian G. Burry was born in New York City, attended public schools and Wagner College, graduating Cum Laude with a B.A. Degree in Political Science & History. She was elected to the National History Fraternity and in 2005 was granted the Wagner College Fellow in Political Science.
• Burry began her public service as a councilwoman in Matawan Borough. After moving to Colts Neck, she served as Committeewoman, Deputy Mayor, and Mayor, making her mark in historic preservation and open space conservation. Burry negotiated the purchase of the Montrose schoolhouse, the only publicly owned one-room schoolhouse in Colts Neck. This was accomplished at the cost of $1 from the township's former Historical Society.
• Burry was elected to the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders in November 2005, she was reelected in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017 and reelected to the Board of County Commissioners in 2020. She served as the first woman director in 2008 and again in 2010, 2014 and 2017. She is the liaison to the Board of Elections, Planning Board, Agricultural Board, and Consumer Affairs.
• Burry was appointed to the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority serving as Vice Chair and to the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority, where she chairs the Veterans Affairs Sub-Committee and serves on the Real Estate Sub-Committee. She was appointed by the Commissioner of the Interior, to the Fort Hancock 21st Century Advisory Committee for the National Park Service.
• Burry received many awards including the Marine Corps League Distinguished Citizen, the Sheriff's Officers Fraternal Order of Police Person of the Year, the Historical Association's Person of the Year, the Latino American Association's Outstanding Community Member and won the Eastern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce Spinnaker Award for Public Service.
• Burry was awarded the 2017 Silver Gull Award's Presidential Award, as well as, the 2017 NJ Women of Achievement Award from the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs; the Monmouth Council Boy Scouts of America (BSA) "Good Scout" Award in 2019 for her leadership and commitment to service at the 20th Annual Good Scouts of Western Monmouth; the Township of Ocean Historical Museum History Champion Award in 2019; the Brookdale Community College's Wilbur Ray Community Service Award in April 2020 for exceptional commitment to the community; and the Community Public Servants Award from the Vin Gopal Civic Association in May 2022.
• Burry received the Outstanding Service to Agriculture Award and was Grand Marshal of the Open Space Pace Parade and she received the first Count Basie Vanguard Award for lifetime devotion to the Arts. In 2015, she received the first M. Claire French Award, recognizing her leadership in Historical Preservation and in 2016, the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore honored her as a Women of Distinction.
• Burry recently brought to fruition a joint effort by the Vocational Schools, National Park System, and the Freeholders to reconstruct Buildings 23 and 56 on Fort Hancock for the Marine Academy of Science and Technology.
• Burry worked in a collaborative effort with the Soldier On organization she found a home for homeless veterans of Monmouth County that opened in November 2021. In May 2023, a Veterans Community Wing was named for Commissioner Burry.
• Burry has been in business for more than 40 years as owner and broker of record of Colts Neck Realty. Married to Donald, a retired Captain from the Coast Guard, they have one daughter and two grandchildren.