def #116 06/16/10
CARL BLOCK NAMED NEW COUNTY ADMINSTRATOR
TOMS RIVER – Carl W. Block, who has served Ocean County for 23 years including 17 years as Deputy County Clerk and
beginning in 2003 as County Clerk, has been named Ocean County’s 10th Administrator by the Board of Chosen Freeholders.
Block will be resigning from his elected position as County Clerk to become Administrator on July 1.
“Carl brings years of private and public management experience to the position of County Administrator,” said
Freeholder Director James F. Lacey. “Carl is not a stranger to Ocean County government. He has been the County Clerk
since 2003. He is a forward thinker and showed how progressive he can be in the advancements he implemented in that
office.
“I am sure he will bring those same qualities to the role of County Administrator,” Lacey said.
Block will replace outgoing Administrator Alan W. Avery Jr., who was appointed to the position on July 1, 2005. Avery
will retire on July 1 after working for the county for more than 33 years.
“It will be a privilege to serve all the residents of Ocean County in this position,” Block said. “I will miss my work as
the County Clerk but this new position brings with it different challenges and the opportunity to implement the programs
and services of this Board of Freeholders all of which make the quality of life here in Ocean County second to none.”
As one of Ocean County’s Constitutional Officers, Block has been responsible for the administration of a broad range of
services offered by the County Clerk’s Office including the supervision of the filing and recording of all documents
affecting real estate ownership/transfer throughout Ocean County, assisting residents in obtaining Passports for foreign
travel and the administration of all elections within the County.
“Carl took a very innovative approach in managing the Clerk’s Office,” Lacey said. “The office has been recognized as the
most technologically advanced in the state, using online computer indexes, optical scanning and retrieval of documents.”
As Administrator, Block will take on a host of new challenges including shepherding such projects along as the ongoing
construction to expand the Ocean County Jail in Toms River, continuing the construction of the 15.6 mile linear park
known as the Barnegat Branch Trail, which will run from Barnegat Township to Toms River Township, and also the expansion
of the Ocean County College campus to accommodate the new partnership with Kean University.
“I have known Carl for many years and he has my full support as my replacement,” Avery said. “He knows county government
and he knows how to work with people. I know the County will be in good hands with Carl in the Administrator’s Office.”
Block, who was appointed to a three-year term, noted that stepping into Avery’s shoes will not be easy since Avery has
been a staple of Ocean County government for more than 33 years and has helped implement many programs and services to
meet the needs of Ocean County’s growing population.
“It is difficult to say good-bye to Alan,” Lacey said. “He has not only worked for Ocean County he has been an integral
part of its growth. He has helped create programs that have met the needs of thousands of residents, from assisting in
the development of the county’s recycling program, to helping establish the natural lands trust program to being a
guardian of the county’s budget, Alan has been the consummate professional and has always put this County and this Board
of Freeholders first.
“He will be sorely missed,” Lacey said.
Block served as Ocean County Deputy Clerk for sixteen years before his election as the County Clerk in 2003. He began his
public service in 1982 as a member of the Stafford Township Council. He was Mayor of Stafford Township from 1983 to 2009.
Block has been an Ocean County resident for more than 40 years.
From 1970 to 1976 Block served in the New Jersey Army National Guard receiving an Honorable Discharge as Staff Sergeant.
“As a veteran, Block knows the needs of the more than 63,000 veterans that call Ocean County home,” Lacey said. “That is
an important perspective to have in a county that has the largest population of veterans in the state.”
Block also is a member of the Executive Committee and was President of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities in
2002. He was President of the Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey (COANJ) in 2007. He serves on the Board
of Trustees of the Southern Ocean County Hospital in Stafford Township. He is a member of the Ocean Acres Civic
Association and the Board of Trustees of the St. Francis Community Center on Long Beach Island. He and his wife of 38
years, Catherine, have two daughters, Rana and Lauren.
