Mayor Theresa Berger and Councilwoman Evelyn Malsbury O’Donnell were sworn into their second terms in office in Howell Township on Tuesday night in a virtual reorganization meeting.
Howell Democrat candidate for Council, John Bonevich, right, with Gov Murphy and Mayor Berger, endorsed his Independent opponent, Michael Bernstein
There are three seats on the Howell Township Council on the ballot in November. The Howell Democrats have three candidates, as do the Howell Republicans.
An Independent candidate, Michael Bernstein, submitted nominating petitions for his candidacy to Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon last Monday morning.
John McCabe, the Chairman of the Howell Democrats, John Bonevich, one of the Democrat candidates for Township Council and Amy Sara Cores, the Democrat candidate for State Senate in the 30th legislative district last year, signed Bernstein’s nominating petition. Five members of the Howell Democrat County Committee signed Bernstein’s petition. 13 people who signed Bernstein’s petitions also signed the petitions for the Democrats candidates.
Howell’s Republican candidates for council, Tommy Russo, Pamela Richmond and Robert Walsh said that the Democrats are colluding with Bernstein and that the Independent should be knocked off the ballot, in a formal challenge file with Hanlon yesterday.