County Surrogate, Susan J. Hoffman, was the honorary recipient of the Governmental Service Leader Award, at an event hosted by the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce, at Copper Hill Golf & Country Club on Tuesday, March 28th. Ms. Hoffman is the longest-serving Surrogate in Hunterdon County history and in the state of New Jersey.
Ms. Hoffman was first appointed to Surrogate of Hunterdon County in December of 1982, by Governor, Thomas H. Kean. She won the Republican nomination in 1983 and has continuously been elected in five-year terms ever since. Surrogate Hoffman was most recently sworn in for her eighth term as Surrogate, on January 1st 2019.
County Commissioner, John Lanza spoke on behalf of the Board, “For the last 40 years, Surrogate Susan Hoffman has infused the values of trust, competence, and empathy in her staff, and under her leadership has generated an environment of compassion and kindness.
A typical experience at the Surrogate’s Office is when someone close to you dies, and you must now tie up loose ends. As the loved one left behind, loss gives way to helplessness when you learn that to get started, you must get documents from a government office. But, if you leave that office feeling that the helplessness has been lifted and the path ahead clearer, then chances are the Surrogate’s Office you left was the Hunterdon County Surrogate’s Office.
As one of Hunterdon County’s elected Constitutional Officers, the County Surrogate is responsible for the administration of services both in the Surrogate’s office and Surrogate court; duties that include, recording of wills, cataloguing estate documents, review and registering adoptions, and the appointment of guardianship for trusteeships and conservatorships.
Longtime friend and coworker, County Clerk Mary Melfi added, "Congratulations to Surrogate Susan Hoffman on her well-deserved Hunterdon County Chamber Governmental Business Leader award. She sets a statewide standard of how a government official should treat their constituents and how a government office should be operated. She truly is a leader.”
Commissioner Lanza concluded,” Hunterdon County is honored to have had the extraordinary leadership and selfless service of Surrogate Hoffman, who has worked tirelessly as a ‘once in a lifetime’ model of what it means to be a County Surrogate, she is the longest serving and greatest in this state.”