Local government Howell Township operates within the
Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the
Council-Manager form of municipal government. The township is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the four-member Township Council, whose members are chosen in partisan voting to four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with elections held in even-numbered years as part of the November general election. Three council seats are up together and two years later there is one council seat and the mayoral seat up for election at the same time. At a reorganization meeting held after each election, the council selects a deputy mayor from among its members. , the Mayor of Howell Township is
Republican John Leggio, whose term of office ends December 31, 2028. Members of the Howell Township Council are Deputy Mayor Fred Gasior (R, term on council and as deputy mayor ends 2026), Susan Fischer (R, 2026), Evelyn Malsbury-O'Donnell (R, 2028) and Ian Nadel (R, 2026). Former mayor Robert Walsh was named to fill the seat that became vacant when William Gotto took office as mayor in January 2013. Walsh's appointed portion of the term ended at the November 2013 general election, though Walsh was the only candidate to submit a petition to serve the balance of the term through December 2014. The Township Manager is Joseph Clark.
Emergency services Police The
Howell Township Police Department serves as the township’s primary law enforcement agency. Established in 1971, the department is headquartered at 300 Old Tavern Road and includes divisions for patrol operations, traffic safety, investigations, and school resource officers. It also oversees the township’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) division.
Fire protection Fire protection in Howell Township is provided by five volunteer fire departments, each assigned to a geographic fire district: https://www.twp.howell.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/2418/Fire-District-Map-2016-11-01?bidId= •
Squankum - District 1 •
Adelphia Fire Company – District 2: Serving the Adelphia area and western Howell. •
Ramtown Fire Company – District 4: Providing fire suppression services to the southern section of the township. •
Southard Fire Department – District 3: Covering the Southard area and eastern Howell. •
Freewood Acres - District 5 These departments are coordinated through the
Howell Township Fire Bureau, which handles code enforcement, fire investigations, and public fire safety education.
Emergency medical services Emergency medical response is handled by a combination of municipal and volunteer EMS providers: •
Howell Township Police EMS: This division of the police department staffs multiple Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances and responds to 911 medical emergencies across the township’s 64 square miles. Its team consists of EMTs and paramedics trained in prehospital emergency care. •
Howell Township First Aid and Rescue Squad #1: Founded in 1957, this all-volunteer organization provides emergency medical services, vehicle extrication, and rescue operations. In 2023, the squad answered over 1,500 calls and operates without charging residents, instead billing insurance providers to fund its operations. Both providers work collaboratively to ensure timely and professional EMS response throughout Howell Township.
Federal, state and county representation Howell Township is located in the 4th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 30th state legislative district.
Politics As of March 2011, there were a total of 33,176 registered voters in Howell Township, of which 6,622 (20.0%) were registered as
Democrats, 7,744 (23.3%) were registered as
Republicans and 18,798 (56.7%) were registered as
Unaffiliated. There were 12 voters registered to other parties. In the
2024 presidential election, Republican
Donald Trump received 62.7% of the vote (19,055 cast), ahead of Democrat
Kamala Harris with 35.8% of the vote (10,881 votes), and other candidates with 1.5% (467 votes) among the 31,964 votes cast by the township's voters. In the
2020 presidential election, Republican
Donald Trump received 57.8% of the vote (18,491 cast), ahead of Democrat
Joe Biden with 40.7% of the vote (13,004 votes), and other candidates with 1.5% (469 votes) among the 31,964 votes cast by the township's voters. In the
2016 presidential election, Republican
Donald Trump received 60.4% of the vote (15,808 cast), ahead of Democrat
Hillary Clinton with 36.0% of the vote (9,430 votes), and other candidates with 3.5% (923 votes), among the 26,161 votes cast by the township's voters. In the
2012 presidential election, Republican
Mitt Romney received 55.4% of the vote (12,529 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barack Obama with 43.2% (9,762 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (310 votes), among the 22,772 ballots cast by the township's 34,737 registered voters (171 ballots were
spoiled), for a turnout of 65.6%. In the
2017 gubernatorial election, Republican
Kim Guadagno received 60.5% of the vote (8,481 cast), ahead of Democrat
Phil Murphy with 36.7% (5,137 votes), and other candidates with 2.8% (391 votes), among the 14,009 cast by the township's voters. In the
2013 gubernatorial election, Republican
Chris Christie received 73.4% of the vote (9,999 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barbara Buono with 25.2% (3,426 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (189 votes), among the 13,788 ballots cast by the township's 34,992 registered voters (174 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 39.4%. In the
2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 68.7% of the vote (11,187 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat
Jon Corzine with 24.7% (4,023 votes), Independent
Chris Daggett with 5.4% (886 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (127 votes), among the 16,287 ballots cast by the township's 33,461 registered voters, yielding a 48.7% turnout. == Education ==