Former freeholder Howard Burrell joins Gov. Corzine administration

Vernon - Sussex County Democratic Chairman Howard Burrell, has accepted a position as assistant director of income security in the N.J. Department of Labor and Workforce Development in the administration of Gov. Jon Corzine. He will lead more than 200 employees in the department and will be responsible for ensuring the integrity of New Jersey’s Unemployment Compensation and Temporary Disability Benefits and Workforce Development Partnership funds. Prior to joining state government, Burrell was international sales manager for CYRO Industries, a supplier of acrylic-based plastic materials. He retired this year after 26 years with the company. “As CYRO’s International Sales Manager for the past 13 years, I was at the forefront of the profound global economic transformation that has taken place in our nation and in our state,” he said, “While some aspects of this global transformation are positive, it’s also causing unemployment,, stifling New Jersey’s economic growth, causing economic insecurity, lessening purchasing power in our communities, and robbing the employer of critical productive assets and financial resources. My position in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development offers me the opportunity to try and reduce the negative impact of these events in New Jersey.” The program operated by the state, and funded by the federal government. “My new position offers an opportunity to help achieve the social and economic objectives we need in New Jersey by giving its workers temporary partial insurance benefits during periods of unemployment, when they are unemployed through no fault of their own,” Burrell said, “This program helps stabilize New Jersey during economic downturns by maintaining purchasing power, and helps employers retain experienced and valuable employees during temporary layoffs.” Burrell concluded, “My goal is to not only to do a good job for the people of New Jersey, but to join with my friend and former fellow Sussex County Freeholder, Secretary of Agriculture Charlie Kuperus, by conducting myself in a way that will reflect positively on the people of Sussex County.”