Ocean County Library Commission
Timothy McDonald
Chair
Term expires 12/31/2028
Paul F. Wolleon
Vice Chair
Term expires 12/31/2025
Susan L. Hutler
Ocean County Library Foundation Liaison
Term expires 12/31/2027
Henry J. Mancini
Term Expires 12/31/2026
Christopher J. Mullins
Term Expires 12/31/2025
Bonnie R. Peterson
Term Expires 12/31/2024
Ruthanne Scaturro
Term Expires 12/31/2026
The governing body for the Ocean County Library is the seven-member Library Commission. The Ocean County Board of Chosen Commissioners makes commission appointments and each appointment carries a five-year term. Appointments are made to provide representation from a variety of geographic and community interests. Primary responsibilities include: selection and appointments, control of library funds, property and equipment, determination of policies and rules governing library service and personnel, and promotion of library interests.
2024 Ocean County Library Commission Meeting Schedule
NOTICE
OCEAN COUNTY LIBRARY COMMISSION
TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act” P.L. 1975 c 231 the Ocean County Library Commission hereby designates the following dates for its Reorganization and Regular Meetings, unless otherwise modified. Such meetings shall commence at 4:00 p.m. and shall be held in the Franklin H. Berry, Jr. Conference Room of the Ocean County Library Headquarters located at 101 Washington Street, Toms River, New Jersey on the following dates:
Tuesday, January 16, 2024 – Reorganization Meeting followed by Regular Meeting
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Tuesday, July 16, 2024 - cancelled and rescheduled to Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Harry T. Applegate, Jr., Secretary
Ocean County Library Commission
Commissioner Virginia E. Haines
Chairwoman: Parks and Recreation and Natural Lands
Commissioner Virginia E. “Ginny” Haines, a lifelong resident of Ocean County, brings years of public service and leadership experience to the Board of Commissioners.
Commissioner Haines of Toms River, was first appointed to the board in January 2016. She was the second woman only to serve as a Freeholder, then Commissioner in Ocean County. She was sworn into her third three-year term on Jan. 4, 2023.
Commissioner Haines serves as Chairwoman to the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund Program. She serves as liaison to a host of county departments and agencies including Ocean County College, Ocean County Vocational Technical Schools, Ocean County Library, the Election Board and the Advisory Commission on the Status of Women.
As Chairwoman of the Department of Parks and Recreation and the County’s Natural Lands Program, Commissioner Haines oversees the preservation of thousands of acres of open space in the County. The Ocean County Department of Parks and Recreation operates 27 public parks including 2 County-run Golf Courses.
The Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund Program has preserved more than 30,000 acres of farmland and environmentally sensitive areas throughout the County. Its largest purchase is the almost 8,000 acres known as the Forked River Mountains. Commissioner Haines serves as the Board representative to the Southern New Jersey Commissioners Association. She served as association President in 2022.
Prior to joining the Board, Commissioner Haines served as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Lottery from July 1994 to February 2002.
Commissioner Haines also served as state 10th Legislative District Assemblywoman from 1992 to 1994. She served as the New Jersey General Assembly Assistant Majority Whip. She also served on the Toms River (formerly Dover Township) Township Committee in 2002. She was Clerk of the New Jersey Assembly and also served as a Legislative Aide for state Senator Robert Singer.
She served as Director of the Board in 2019 and Deputy Director in 2022.
Commissioner Haines has closely worked with the Jersey Shore Council of Boy Scouts, the Monmouth/Ocean Foodbank now known as Fulfill, the Ocean County Heart Association, and the United Way. She is an active member of the Rotary Club of Toms River and the Toms River Student Loan Fund Board.
She also has served as a speaker and mentor for the Christine Todd Whitman Excellence in Public Service Series.
Among her many awards, she has been recognized with the Distinguished Citizen Award, and the Loyal Buffalo Award from the Jersey Shore Council of Boy Scouts, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ocean County Girls Scouts. She was named a Paul Harris Fellow, a Melvin Jones Fellow, New Jersey Law Enforcement Association Recognition, Citizen of the Year by the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Citizen of the Year by the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce. Commissioner Haines also is an inductee of the Lakewood High School Hall of Fame and serves as the Regent for the Joshua Huddy Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Commissioner Haines is the National Republican Committeewoman – New Jersey since 2004 and is co-chair of the Republican National Committee Northeast Region since 2013. She also served as a delegate in 2008, 2012 and 2016 for the Republican National Convention and has represented the state on numerous committees.