Monmouth County Certifies Howell Election Night Results

HOWELL, NJ - The Monmouth County Board of Elections has certified ballot counts this week, making the results from Election Night in Howell official.

The Monmouth County Board of Elections has completed the counting of the mail-in and provisional ballots, and the County Clerk's Election Office has certified the General Election results to the Secretary of State,” the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office announced Wednesday.

“384,251 ballots were cast in Monmouth County resulting in a record-breaking 82.4% voter turnout for the 2020 General Election.”

In the race for the township mayor, Democrat Theresa Berger was successful in holding onto her position, officially winning by the following margins:

THERESA BERGER: 53.36 percent, 16,615 votes
SUZANNE M. BRENNAN: 46.22 percent, 14,392 votes

Berger, a resident of the township for over 20 years, is currently the mayor of Howell and has now secured another four-year term. She was the first Democrat to take office in Howell in over 15 years when she took oath in January 2017. She serves as the president and CEO of Ocean Health Initiatives, manages 200 Medical and Administration Employees. She previously served as a chair for the New Jersey Primary Care Association from 2014 to 2019.

For a seat on the town council, Republican incumbent Evelyn O’Donnell was successful in maintaining her position, officially winning by the following margins:

EVELYN O’DONNELL: 50.51 percent, 15,415 votes
ANDRE DE GARMEAUX: 49.47 percent, 15,095 votes

O'Donnell previously served on the Howell Township Board of Education for nine years. She has served the Howell Township Council for four years. She is a graduate of Howell Township Public Schools and Brookdale Community College. She has been a resident of Howell Township since the age of four.

The final results for the Howell Board of Education are as follows:

DENISE M. LOWE: 27.83 percent, 16,413 votes
IRA THOR: 24.50 percent, 14,448 votes
AL MILLER: 24.39 percent, 14,387 votes
STEPHEN DOBBINS: 23.23 percent, 13,703 votes

Current board member Laurence Gurman also won unopposed for a two-year unexpired term.

Lowe has been a resident of Howell for over a decade and is now in her sixth year as a Howell Township board of education member. The board of education reelection candidate is the managing director for All Children Can Learn, an academic coaching and training service, and works with the New York State Education Department as an educational consultant for East Ramapo School District in Rockland County, New York.

Thor is a Howell resident of over 10 years and father of three children, all of whom have attended or are currently attending Howell Township schools. The incumbent has over 20 years of higher education experience, with wife Kathryn touting more than 20 years of experience in special education. He is the Senior Director of University Communications and Media Relations at New Jersey City University, serving as the Chief Communications Officer and spokesperson for the university. He also works in professional and collegiate sports, including the NFL's New York Giants, New York Jets and the NCAA, as well as a number of local colleges as an announcer, broadcaster and statistician.

Miller has been a resident of Howell for 15 years and a Howell Township Board of Education member for nine years. He has two daughters, one in nursing school and one in Howell High School. "Both of my daughters went through the Howell school system, Miller told Patch. "They received excellent education by the dedicated hard working staff we have in our district."