News from the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders
Public Information Contacts: Linda Van Zandt / Joanne Vuoso / Lisa Krueger
908.231.7020 publicinfo@co.somerset.nj.us
November 15, 2010
Somerset County Administrator To Retire Dec. 31
SOMERVILLE – Somerset County Administrator Richard E. Williams, who started his county career 42
years ago, has announced he will retire as of Dec. 31.
Michael J. Amorosa of Branchburg, who was named deputy administrator in September as part of a
succession plan approved by the Board of Freeholders, will become county administrator effective Jan. 1, 2011.
“For 20 years, Dick Williams has been the axis upon which the wheels of Somerset County government
have turned,” said Freeholder Director Jack M. Ciattarelli. “His leadership, management, stewardship and
mentorship have all been marked by selflessness and accomplishment. Very simply, Dick Williams is one of the
reasons why Somerset County is such a desirable place to live, work and do business.”
A native of North Plainfield and a longtime Somerville resident, Williams joined the county Office of
Economic Development in 1968. He was named economic development director in 1975, and in 1986 was
appointed deputy county administrator. From 1988 to 1990, he also served as acting director of the county
Planning Board.
During his 22-year career in economic development, Somerset County added more than 40 million square
feet of new and expanded commercial space valued at more than $1.5 billion. He was honored by both the
Northeastern and New Jersey Industrial Development Associations. In 1978, he created the Fifth Friday Friars
program, where government and business leaders meet to network and hear a guest speaker several times a
year.
Williams was appointed county administrator in January 1991. He was responsible for implementing a
newly approved organizational structure, which included the creation of three umbrella departments: Public
Works, Human Services and Finance and Administrative Services. A fourth department – Public Health and
Safety – was created in September 2010.
In June 1991, he attended the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, a program for
senior executives in state and local government. He subsequently brought professors from the Harvard program
to speak to county employees on several occasions, and oversaw the selection of one county manager each year
to attend the program from 1992 through 2005.
His other accomplishments during 20 years as county administrator include the expansion of shared
services between the county and municipalities, such as fuel sharing, 911 dispatching and public-health services;
quarterly meetings with municipal administrators; and the 2001 creation of the Somerset County Improvement
Authority to allow towns and school districts to get lower financing rates on capital projects.
Most recently, he led the implementation of the solar-energy project launched by the Board of
Freeholders. In its first phase, this program will feature construction of solar panels on 31 public-sector rooftops
and properties around the county, with a projected energy-cost savings of more than $1 million per year over 15
years.
In his resignation letter, Williams said he appreciated having had the opportunity to work with “forwardlooking Freeholders both past and present, who would not shy away from risk-taking.
“We have accomplished a great deal together and I leave you with some of the brightest, hardest-working
employees that you could find in any setting,” he wrote. “Any success I’ve had is directly attributable to a team
approach of great employees.”
Williams was a founding member of the Somerset Alliance for the Future, which later merged with the
Chamber of Commerce to become the Somerset County Business Partnership. Over the years he has been
active in many civic organizations, including the Somerset County 200 Club, Somerville Elks, Somerset County
United Way and the Somerset County chapter of the American Heart Association. In May 2009, he received the
Outstanding Citizen Award from the Somerset County Business Partnership.
Williams graduated from Rider College and did graduate work at Georgia Tech and the University of
Oklahoma. He and his wife Jane, a retired teacher, have five children and six grandchildren.
Jack M. Ciattarelli, Freeholder Director  Robert Zaborowski, Freeholder Deputy Director
Peter S. Palmer, Freeholder  Patricia L. Walsh, Freeholder  Patrick Scaglione, Freeholder
Somerset County Is An Equal Opportunity Employer