Local government Milford is governed under the
borough form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the most commonly used form of government in the state. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected
at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members, who are elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The borough form of government used by Milford is a "
weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can
veto ordinances subject to an
override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council. , the
mayor of Milford Borough is
Republican Henry Schepens, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023. Members of the Borough Council are Noralie LaFevre (R, 2025), James Gallos (R, 2024; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Ronald R. Rehl (R, 2025), Robert E. White (
D, 2023) and Elisa Yager (R, 2024), with one seat vacant. In February 2023, Russell Heller was shot and killed at a
PSE&G facility by a former employee, leaving his seat expiring in December 2023 vacant. In November 2018, Henry Schepens was elected to serve the balance of the term as mayor expiring in December 2019 that had been held by Ronald R. Rehl. In January 2016, the Common Council selected Carole Heller to fill the seat expiring in December 2017 that became vacant after Ronald Rehl stepped down to be sworn in as mayor.
Federal, state and county representation Milford is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd state legislative district.
Politics In March 2011, there were 823 registered voters in Milford Township, of whom 206 (25.0%) were registered as
Democrats, 304 (36.9%) as
Republicans and 313 (38.0%) as
unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties. In the
2012 presidential election, Republican
Mitt Romney received 49.7% of the vote (314 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barack Obama with 47.0% (297 votes), and other candidates with 3.3% (21 votes), among the 635 ballots cast by the borough's 855 registered voters (3 ballots were
spoiled), for a turnout of 74.3%. In the
2008 presidential election, Republican
John McCain received 51.4% of the vote (340 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 46.4% (307 votes) and other candidates with 2.1% (14 votes), among the 661 ballots cast by the township's 840 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.7%. In the
2004 presidential election, Republican
George W. Bush received 57.9% of the vote (364 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat
John Kerry with 40.7% (256 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (9 votes), among the 629 ballots cast by the township's 787 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 79.9. In the
2013 gubernatorial election, Republican
Chris Christie received 67.8% of the vote (274 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barbara Buono with 29.2% (118 votes), and other candidates with 3.0% (12 votes), among the 407 ballots cast by the borough's 851 registered voters (3 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 47.8%. In the
2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 58.4% of the vote (281 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat
Jon Corzine with 28.1% (135 votes), Independent
Chris Daggett with 10.6% (51 votes) and other candidates with 1.9% (9 votes), among the 481 ballots cast by the township's 827 registered voters, yielding a 58.2% turnout. ==Education==