County Commissioners
County Commissioner Meetings
Meetings are live-streamed on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SalemCountyGovernment/streams and the videos uploaded to our Facebook page the following day.
NOTE: There may be intermittent internet delays while live streaming. If your comment isn’t broadcasted during the live stream, please fill out our Contact form and type your message in the area provided. All submissions received will be addressed in a timely manner.
2026 Schedule
Meetings are held at the Historic Salem Court House, 104 Market Street, Salem NJ 08079, unless otherwise specified. All meetings will begin at 6:00 pm except where noted.
- January 7 & 21
- February 4 & 18
- March 4 & 18
- April 8 & 22
- May 6
- May 20 (4:00 pm)
- June 3 & 17 (4:00 pm)
- July 15 (4:00 pm)
- August 5 & 19 (4:00 pm)
- September 2 (4:00 pm)
- September 16
- October 7 & 21
- November 4 & 18
- December 2 & 16
- December 30 – end of year (8:30am at 110 5th St., Salem NJ)
County Commissioner Director, Benjamin H. Laury
Chairperson: Administrative Committee
Liaison to: Administrative
Assignments: New Jersey Association of Counties; South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization
County Commissioner Ben Laury is a lifelong resident of the Borough of Elmer. He has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University and is licensed as a Professional Engineer and Master Plumber in the State of New Jersey.
County Commissioner Laury has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. Before being elected as a Salem County Commissioner in 2009, he began his public community service by serving on the planning board, serving 10 years on the school board (5 years as president), and serving 7 years on the borough council (2 years as president).
County Commissioner Laury’s commitment to community service is highlighted by his dedication to the Boys Scouts of America. He currently is serving on the Southern New Jersey District Board and personally holds the rank of Eagle Scout and recently received the Boy Scout Silver Beaver award. He is committed to his faith and his church and is actively involved in the Elmer Methodist Church. He has been an active Rotary member for over 30 years and is a Paul Harris Fellow.
County Commissioner Laury has been married to his wife Kathy Laury for over 40 years. They are blessed with two children Brittany (married to Stan Orzechowski) and TJ (married to Sarah). They have seven grandchildren: Mason, Carter, twins Colton and Ryder, and triplets Theo, Zoe and Maggie.
Contact County Commissioner Laury
Deputy Director, Cordy Taylor
Chairperson: Information Technology Committee
Liaison to: Agricultural & Information Technology; Public Safety
Assignments: Planning Board
Throughout his career, Commissioner Taylor has always made time for public service.
This community service has included: soccer coach, school board member, municipal government member and various volunteer activities such as Habitat for Humanity, South Jersey Wheelman Bike Club and Pedricktown Day.
Most recently he has served as Chairman of the Salem County Improvement Authority and as a member of the County Planning Board and Economic Development Council.
Commissioner Taylor is married to Melinda Taylor and together they have raised two children, and too many cats, dogs, and horses to count. He is an Advanced Open Water Diver, a private pilot, and has spent countless hours bike riding throughout Salem County’s rural and scenic roads.
Contact County Commissioner Taylor
County Commissioner, Ed Ramsay
Chairperson: Economic Development Committee; Public Works Committee
Liaison to: Tourism, Cultural & Heritage, and Economic Development; Public Works
Assignments: Salem County Improvement Authority; Veteran’s Advisory Board
After attending Gateway Regional High School and Gloucester County College, Ed graduated from Rutgers University with a BS in Business Management and Marketing. Professionally, Ed has been involved in real estate for 34 years including sales, brokerage, landlord, tax liens, and private investment.
As a Salem County resident, Ed has been actively attending meetings for the Economic Development Council, Salem County Improvement Authority, Tourism Advisory Council, Youth Services Commission, Agriculture Development Board, Municipal Councils, and Planning Boards.
Ed proudly served in the US Air Force as a ground/satellite navigation electronics technician.
Before moving to Pittsgrove, Ed served his hometown of Wenonah as Borough Council President and 2nd Lieutenant in the Fire Department, in addition to other committees.
County Commissioner Ed Ramsay is serving his first term on the Salem County Board of County Commissioners.
Contact County Commissioner Ramsay
County Commissioner, Daniel Timmerman
Chairperson: Education Committee
Liaison to: Education
Assignments: Alternate to Pollution Control, Veteran’s Advisory Board, and Salem County Board of Social Services
County Commissioner Daniel Timmerman is a resident of Woodstown Burrough. Commissioner Timmerman has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of South Carolina. Following graduate school, he was hired and became a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers working at the Mine Safety and Health Academy in Beckley, West Virginia preparing safety and health risk assessments for environmental remediation technologies.
While in West Virginia, Commissioner Timmerman applied and later attended medical school. While in medical school, he was awarded a fellowship to the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City working with attending staff to develop an automated computer program to identify patients at high risk for breast cancer. After graduating from medical school, he completed a surgical residency in Philadelphia and is now a board-certified general surgeon practicing in Salem County with privileges at at Inspira Mannington, Elmer, and Vineland. Further, he perfroms robotic surgery at Inspria Mullica Hill.
In 2016, Dr. Timmerman set his efforts on law school. He entered the Delaware Law School in 2017 and graduated in 2021. In 2021, Commissioner Timmerman was presented with the Reed Hamilton Memorial Award for excellence in the area of health care law given by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Commissioner Timmerman is a father of four children.
Contact County Commissioner Timmerman
County Commissioner, Paul Collier
Chairperson: Health and Human Services Committee
Liaison to: Health and Human Services
Assignments: Pollution Control and Salem County Board of Social Services
County Commissioner Paul Collier is a lifelong resident of Salem County. He graduated from Salem High School and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from the Johns Hopkins University. As a scientist specializing in molecular genetics, Commissioner Collier has published research in numerous peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Commissioner Collier’s public service includes seven years on the Lower Alloways Creek Township Committee, where he held the position of Mayor for three years and Deputy Mayor for one year. He also served nearly a decade on the local planning board. Currently, he serves on the Salem County Economic Development Advisory Council and the federal Hudson Canyon Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.
Commissioner Collier is married to Krista Barbera, and together they have raised two children, Joshua and Jessica, and two Devon Rex cats, Abby and Jinx. He is an active member of New Hope United Methodist Church, where he serves on the church board. In his leisure time, Commissioner Collier enjoys offshore fishing and holds a private pilot license.
Contact County Commissioner Collier
Fifth Street Complex: 110 Fifth Street, Suite 400, Salem, NJ 08079 | Phone: 856-935-7510
Clerk of the Board: 856-935-7510 x8204
2026 Salem County Commissioners: Paul Collier, Cordy Taylor, Ben Laury, Ed Ramsay, Daniel Timmerman
History of the Board
New Jersey originated the name ‘Chosen County Commissioner’
New Jersey alone of all the United States has the distinction of retaining the title of “FREEHOLDER” to denote the elected members of the county governing bodies. This descriptive name, which commemorates the origin of home rule, is used by only 21 of the nation’s 3,047 counties. In other states, these county officials are known as commissioners, supervisors, probate judges, police jurors, councilors and a variety of other names.
An old English term, a “freeholder” originally denoted a person who owned an estate of land over which he had complete control. After the Norman Conquest of 1066 A.D., British kings found it necessary under pressure to call together an assemblage of higher clergy, earls and barons of the nobility and later Knights of the Realm, to sit as advisors and to grant taxes for defense of the kingdom. By the 13th century, through battles against abuses by royal power and the growing influence of Burghesses and Freeman, the British Parliament was enlarged to include these Freeman who owned their land free and clear, who were called “County Commissioners.”
English history from this time onward is a story of the increasing power of the subject and his participation in the government. The Franklyn in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is described as being born a Freeman and “County Commissioner.” He sat with the lord and knights of his shire (county) in the Parliament of that day.
The name “County Commissioner” was well known by the 17th century, and the holder of the title had a definite place in society. Thus, when the first settlers came to the New World and settled what was to become “New Jersey” under the original proprietors, it is not to be wondered that we find the “County Commissioner” prominently mentioned. In the first archives of East Jersey, signed and dated, we discover the origin of the name “Chosen County Commissioner.” By crossing the sea, these stout-hearted men had already added a popular or democratic refinement to the traditional English name for a Freeman, although they still lived under the British Crown.
Uniquely, our original “Chosen County Commissioners” were members of the state’s General Assembly, its first legislature, even before they became the elected representatives of the County Board’s of Chosen County Commissioners. No other state in the federal union has so carefully preserved the ancient freedom of its representative government, in the historic title it still confers on its county governing officials.
By: Colonel John J. M. Dudley
Philosophy
Mission
To enhance Salem County residents’ quality of life by ensuring the safety, prosperity and wellness of our communities through responsive, innovation and fiscally responsible actions.
Vision
To provide the citizens of Salem County the highest quality of life by promoting: Public Safety; Fiscal Responsibility; Economic Development; Culture and Diversity; Health and Education; and Preservation of Natural Resources. We the freeholders will achieve these goals by embracing our core values.
Core Values
County Residents
We will ensure public trust through honesty, fairness, consistency, follow-through and our continued commitment to the County’s culture and diversity.
Fiscal Responsibility
We will prudently manage County financial resources.
Public Safety
We will adhere to a plan that ensures safe communities now and for future generations resulting in a higher quality of life for Salem County residents.
Health
We will provide accessible healthcare and promote wellness for all county residents.
Economic Development
We will deliver innovative actions designed to grow a vibrant local and regional economy while preserving our natural resources.