Murphy nominates Billhimer for second term as Ocean County Prosecutor

Gov. Phil Murphy has nominated Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer to a second five-year term as the county's chief law enforcement officer.

Murphy submitted the nomination to the Senate on Nov. 30.

Billhimer, 53, a Berkeley Township resident, has been serving as a holdover since his first term expired in early October.

"I am honored that Gov. Murphy has nominated me for a second term,'' the prosecutor told the Asbury Park Press on Thursday.

Billhimer, a Democrat, managed to garner support for a second term from Ocean County's solidly Republican Board of Commissioners, which earlier this year unanimously passed a resolution it sent to the governor urging his reappointment.

Billhimer, formerly a longtime criminal defense attorney, also garnered support for reappointment from the Republican-controlled governing bodies in Seaside Heights, Jackson and his hometown of Berkeley.

Explaining why the Republican-controlled county government threw its support behind Billhimer, Commissioner Jack Kelly said earlier this year, "Because Brad Billhimer has been nonpartisan - not bipartisan - a nonpartisan prosecutor who has done an outstanding job for the people of Ocean County. ''

Billhimer began his career in Ocean County in 2000 as a law clerk to Superior Court Judge Barbara Ann Villano, now retired. From there, he went into private practice, becoming a partner in the Law Offices of Mohel and Billhimer in Toms River before opening his own law practice in 2010.

In 2018, Billhimer succeeded former prosecutor Joseph Coronato as the county's chief law enforcement officer. Coronato, a Republican, failed to gain reappointment amid controversy over his firing of a top assistant prosecutor who brought forth allegations of wrongdoing against a drug recovery specialist closely associated with Coronato. Ocean County earlier this year paid $1 million to the fired staffer to settle his whistleblower lawsuit.

Billhimer's first term has been marked by no such controversy.

In his first term, Billhimer established programs to assist school children whose lives have been disrupted by family encounters with law enforcement. He also took over day-to-day operations of the Lavallette Police Department, but relinquished control earlier this year after ensuring top brass received appropriate training.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has to consider Billhimer's nomination before it is submitted to the full Senate for a vote. No sessions have been scheduled yet.

Kathleen Hopkins, a reporter in New Jersey since 1985, covers crime, court cases, legal issues and just about every major murder trial to hit Monmouth and Ocean counties. Contact her at khopkins@app.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer nominated for second term