Residents seek election to charter study panel
BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Staff Writer

HOWELL - The Township Clerk's office has confirmed that two five-person groups have submitted petitions seeking to be elected to a charter study commission which would investigate a possible change in Howell's form of government.

Each group's candidates submitted petitions of 100 signatures from registered Howell voters. The names of the 10 residents who want to serve on the commission are expected to appear on the Nov. 7 general election ballot. Residents do not have to vote for an entire slate of candidates - they may vote for up to five individuals. The top five vote-getters will serve on the commission if such a panel is approved.

A five-person commission would study various forms of government and review whether the current system fits the township's needs, or whether a different form of government should be employed. The commission would have nine months to hold public meetings and come up with a recommendation.

To green-light the commission, two questions will be placed on the Nov. 7 ballot. The first question will ask Howell voters if they want a charter study commission to be formed. That is a yes or no question carried by a simple majority. The second question will ask voters to choose the people who would serve on the commission in the event that the first question proposing the commission is approved.

The first group of residents seeking to serve on a charter study commission is comprised of Sharon Carpenter-Migli-accio, William Field, Reinhard Kirchhof, John Lebrio and George Wyatt.

The second group of residents seeking to serve on a charter study commission is comprised of William Adams, Bruce Goldberg, Jeanine Raccuglia, Michael Reverie and Robin Shaughnessy.

Last year, Lebrio headed a grass-roots initiative which proposed a specific change of government and attempted to place that proposal on the November 2005 ballot. The effort did not gather enough signatures on a petition to place the question before voters.

That independent group RAFT (Real Accountability for Taxpayers) supported a nonpartisan mayor-council form of government. The group also looked to institute a ward system to divide the township into three sections - north Howell, central Howell and south Howell - with guaranteed representation from each section of town and municipal elections to be held in May.

In the wake of all the discussion about RAFT and a potential change in government, the members of the Township Council eventually agreed to place a charter study commission question on the November 2006 ballot.

As recently as July, two councilmen who were in office last year went on record to say they are now opposed to a charter study commission.

Republicans Peter Tobasco and Juan Malave discussed what they said is the Howell government's newfound efficiency as reasons why a charter study commission is unnecessary.

Speaking about the council-manager form of government, Tobasco said, "if it's not broke, don't fix it."

Since then there has been scant public discussion regarding the charter study commission and it appears that residents will have their say on Election Day as to whether they want a commission to investigate the possibility of changing Howell's form of government.

At one time Howell operated under a Township Committee form of government in which the mayor is not directly elected by residents. The municipality eventually changed to its present form of government, a council-manager format. The mayor is directly elected by residents, but serves as a voting member of the five-person Township Council. The town is not divided into voting wards and all council members are elected at large.