Lillian G. Burry
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Lillian G. Burry is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, she has served on the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners since January 2006. She first served as Director of the Board in 2008, the first woman and the first
Italian-American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, w ...
to do so in Monmouth County. She was again chosen as Director of the Board in 2011, 2014, and 2017.


Biography

Lillian Beneforti was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, where she attended the local public schools and, later,
Wagner College Wagner College is a private liberal arts college in Staten Island, New York City. Founded in 1883 and with an enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, Wagner is known for its academic program, The Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts. It ...
, where she graduated
cum Laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
with a double major (Political Science/History). At Wagner she met her future husband, Captain Donald Burry. She worked in the field of real estate as a licensed broker for more than 40 years, starting out when it was unusual for women to work in that field.


Political career

Freeholder Burry was elected to positions at the local level in both Colts Neck and Matawan. In Matawan, she was the first woman elected to the Borough Council. During her tenure she assisted in restoring Borough Hall. The borough received 80 percent of the funding for the project from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She participated in the purchase of Matawan's wetlands with 80 percent funding from the state Green Acres Program, and played a leading role in fighting the Imperial Oil Company after the firm was discovered dumping at Burnt Fly Bog. She headed Matawan's Historic Preservation Program, during which time the group purchased and restored the borough's most historic 18th century-era mansion. In Colts Neck, she was elected to three terms on the Township Committee, where she served as mayor, deputy mayor and committeewoman. She was also actively involved in Colts Neck committees including: Planning Board, Long-Range Planning Committee, Litigation Steering, Architectural Review, Buildings & Grounds, Finance, Affordable Housing, Environmental Commission and the Farmland, Open Space & Historic Preservation Program. She also represented Colts Neck as the municipal liaison to the local schools, regional high school, county government,
Naval Weapons Station Earle Naval Weapons Station Earle is a United States Navy base in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Its distinguishing feature is a pier in Sandy Hook Bay where ammunition can be loaded and unloaded from warships at a safe distance from heavi ...
, Police Department, and the September 11th Memorial Committee. Prior to being elected to the Board of County Commissioners, Burry had served as a citizen member of the Monmouth County Planning Board and the Monmouth County Library Commission.Biography of Freeholder Burry at the Monmouth County Website
/ref> Burry was elected to her first three-year term on the Board in the November 2005 general election and was re-elected in 2008, 2010, 2014, 2017, and 2020.


See also

* List of Monmouth County Board of County Commissioner Directors


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burry, Lillian Living people Mayors of places in New Jersey County commissioners in New Jersey New Jersey Republicans American politicians of Italian descent People from Colts Neck Township, New Jersey People from Matawan, New Jersey Wagner College alumni Women mayors of places in New Jersey Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women