Long-time Freeholder will chair the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority for a second time.
SOMERSET -- Somerset County Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, who has long championed regional transportation, was elected chair of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority during Monday's meeting of the agency's board of trustees.
It will be Palmer's second stint in the post. He served as chair from 2004 to 2006. His current two-year term goes through January 2018.
"I am honored that my fellow board members have chosen me to again serve as chair of the NJTPA," Palmer said in a statement. "This is a critical time for transportation in our region, particularly the Gateway trans-Hudson project.
"Our economy is rebounding, and we must support it by addressing our growing infrastructure needs. I look forward to working with the board and all our partners to improve our critical transportation systems."
Palmer, a Republican, is a native of Bernardsville and served as the borough's mayor from 1985 to 1994. In November 2014, he was elected to his seventh term as a freeholder. He has worked hard to upgrade the region's transportation infrastructure and has been an influential voice in bringing one-seat ride service to the Raritan Valley Line.
Palmer, who was voted Freeholder of the Year in 2011, has a Master's of Science degree in engineering from Princeton University. He's a retired vice president of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
