Sussex County Freeholder Richard Vohden declined to seek a third term but is retaining his seat on the New Jersey Highlands Council.
NEWTON -- Outgoing Sussex County Freeholder Richard Vohden, who reaches a wider audience as a New Jersey Highlands Council member, attended his final meeting Wednesday on the county governing board.
Vohden declined last spring to seek a third, three-year term, but is retaining his unpaid but higher-profile gig on the Highlands Council.
"It's time to slow down a little," Vohden, whose clout on the freeholder board diminished following a leadership change in January, said at the start of the meeting.
Vohden turned 79 on Monday.
He exited the all-Republican, five-member county board with a win as it unanimously approved a resolution to video freeholder meetings starting in January.
Vohden proposed video recording the meetings last spring but drew opposition from three of the other four freeholders, including Freeholder Director George Graham. The majority faction relented following some public criticism of their stance.
Ironically, Vohden's final meeting was video recorded in its entirety by someone in the audience. George Segale, a professional filmmaker, declined to say who hired him for the assignment.
In his remarks, Vohden did not allude to the power shift on the board leading up to Graham's elevation as director last winter.
Graham succeeded as director Freeholder Phil Crabb, the board's longest-serving member and Vohden's lone remaining ally after two new freeholders -- Jonathan Rose and Carl Lazzaro -- were elected in Nov. 2015.
After deciding not to seek a third term, Vohden endorsed two unsuccessful challengers to Graham and then-Hopatcong Mayor Sylvia Petillo in the Republican primary last June.
Petillo will join the freeholder board at the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting and Graham -- who, on Wednesday, said he will not be continuing as director -- will be sworn in to his second term.
Freeholders in Sussex County are paid $23,956 annually.
While Graham, Rose and Crabb offered applause and praise for their departing colleague, Lazzaro was noticeably silent.
That prompted Michele Van Allen, a losing Democratic candidate for freeholder in November, to take the podium during the public portion of the meeting and question the apparent snub.
"Mr. Lazzaro, hopefully you'll get to your thank-you later on," Van Allen said, drawing no response from Lazzaro.
Outside of Sussex County, Vohden is perhaps better known for his role on the Highlands Council.
Gov. Chris Christie's nomination of Vohden to the Highlands Council in 2010, drew controversy over Vohden's criticisms of the Highlands Act.
The Highlands Council oversees the 2004 law limiting development in ecologically sensitive swaths of seven northern New Jersey counties, including Sussex.
Vohden was confirmed by the state Senate in Jan. 2012 and, upon joining the Highlands Council, continued criticizing aspects of the law that he said were wrongfully limiting economic growth.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.