Editing Colts Neck Township, New Jersey (section)

== Government ==

=== Local government ===
[[File:Colts Neck Town Hall.jpg|thumb|left|Colts Neck Town Hall]]
Colts Neck is governed under the [[Township (New Jersey)|Township]] form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.<ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/inventory_of_municipal_forms_of_government_in_new_jersey.pdf ''Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey''], [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters [[at-large]] in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.<ref name=DataBook>''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', [[Rutgers University]] [[Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy]], March 2013, p. 63.</ref><ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/forms_of_municipal_government_in_new_jersey_9220.pdf#page=7 "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"], p. 7. [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref><ref>Cerra, Michael F. [https://www.njlm.org/809/3982/Forms-of-Govt-Magazine-Article "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask"], [[New Jersey State League of Municipalities]], March 2007. Accessed January 1, 2025.</ref> At an annual reorganization meeting, the township committee selects one of its members to serve as mayor and another as deputy mayor, each serving one-year terms.<ref name=Committee/>

{{As of|2024}}, the members of the Colts Neck Township Committee are [[Mayor]] Tara Torchia Buss ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]], term on committee ends December 31, 2026; term as mayor ends 2025), Deputy Mayor Michael S. Viola (R, term on committee ends 2026; term as deputy mayor ends 2025), Dan Buzzetta (R, 2027), Sue Fitzpatrick (R, 2025) and Frank Rizzuto (R, 2027).<ref name=Committee>[https://coltsneck.org/township-committee/ Township Committee], Colts Neck Township. Accessed January 27, 2025. "Colts Neck Township is governed by a five-member Township Committee. The Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and Deputy Mayor for a one-year term. The term for each Committee member is three years."</ref><ref>[https://cdn.townweb.com/coltsneck.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-Adopted-Budget-landscape.pdf 2024 Municipal Data Sheet], Colts Neck Township. Accessed January 27, 2025.</ref><ref name=Monmouth2024>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Monmouth/122857/web.345435/#/summary November 5, 2024 General Election Official Results], [[Monmouth County, New Jersey]], updated December 16, 2024. Accessed January 1, 2025.</ref><ref name=Monmouth2023>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Monmouth/119047/web.317647/#/summary November 8, 2023 General Election Official Results], [[Monmouth County, New Jersey]], updated January 18, 2024. Accessed January 22, 2024.</ref><ref name=Monmouth2022>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Monmouth/116246/web.307039/#/summary General Election November 8, 2022 Official Results], [[Monmouth County, New Jersey]] Clerk, updated December 27, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref>

Frank Rizzuto was appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2018 that had been vacated by Michael Fitzgerald.<ref>Wall, Jeanne. [https://www.tapinto.net/towns/holmdel-and-colts-neck/articles/colts-neck-reorganizes-with-bartolomeo-as-mayor-a "Colts Neck Reorganizes with Bartolomeo as Mayor and Orgo as Deputy Mayor for 2018"], TAP into Holmdel & Colts Neck, January 8, 2018. Accessed July 25, 2018. "Next, it was time for the swearing in of newly elected Committeeman Frank Rizzuto.... He noted the leadership of former Committeeman and Mayor Michael Fitzgerald, whose unexpired term he filled."</ref>

=== Federal, state and county representation ===
Colts Neck Township is located in the 4th Congressional District<ref name=PCR2012>[https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/2012-congressional-districts/njcd-2011-plan-components-county-mcd.pdf Plan Components Report], [[New Jersey Redistricting Commission]], December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020.</ref> and is part of New Jersey's 11th state legislative district.<ref name=Districts2011>[https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/2011-legislative-districts/towns-districts.pdf Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District], [[New Jersey Department of State]]. Accessed February 1, 2020.</ref><ref name=LWV2019>[https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5bae63366fd2b2e5b9f87e5e/5d30f0a94a82c66427e564d2_2019_CitizensGuide.pdf ''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''], New Jersey [[League of Women Voters]]. Accessed October 30, 2019.</ref><ref>[https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/districtnumbers.asp#11 Districts by Number for 2011-2020], [[New Jersey Legislature]]. Accessed January 6, 2013.</ref>

{{NJ Congress 04}} {{NJ Senate}}

{{NJ Legislative 11}}

{{NJ Monmouth County Commissioners}}

=== Politics ===
{{PresHead|place=Colts Neck|source=<ref>{{Cite web |title=NJ DOS - Division of Elections - Election Results Archive |url=https://nj.gov/state/elections/election-information-results.shtml |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=nj.gov}}</ref>}}
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{{PresRow|2024|Republican|4,504|1,866|92|New Jersey}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|4,451|2,309|78|New Jersey}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|3,819|1,718|159|New Jersey}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|3,912|1,420|55|New Jersey}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|3,970|1,781|46|New Jersey}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|3,929|1,629|37|New Jersey}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|3,271|1,467|380|New Jersey}}{{PresRow|1996|Republican|2,390|1,144|328|New Jersey}}{{PresRow|1992|Republican|2,400|925|744|New Jersey}}
|}
As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 7,303 registered voters in Colts Neck Township, of which 952 (13.0%) were registered as [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]], 2,805 (38.4%) were registered as [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] and 3,539 (48.5%) were registered as [[Unaffiliated (New Jersey)|Unaffiliated]]. There were 7 voters registered as [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarians]] or [[Green Party (United States)|Greens]].<ref>[http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/election-results/2011-monmouth-co-summary-report.pdf Voter Registration Summary - Monmouth], [[New Jersey Department of State]] Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed December 3, 2012.</ref>

In the [[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2012|2012 presidential election]], Republican [[Mitt Romney]] received 72.6% of the vote (3,912 cast), ahead of Democrat [[Barack Obama]] with 26.4% (1,420 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (55 votes), among the 5,423 ballots cast by the township's 7,634 registered voters (36 ballots were [[Spoilt vote|spoiled]]), for a turnout of 71.0%.<ref name=2012Elections>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/2012-results/2012-presidential-monmouth.pdf |title=Presidential General Election Results - November 6, 2012 - Monmouth County |date=March 15, 2013 |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections |access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref><ref name=2012VoterReg>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/2012-results/2012-ballotscast-monmouth.pdf |title=Number of Registered Voters and Ballots Cast - November 6, 2012 - General Election Results - Monmouth County|date=March 15, 2013 |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections |access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref> In the [[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2008|2008 presidential election]], Republican [[John McCain]] received 67.8% of the vote (3,970 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 30.4% (1,781 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (46 votes), among the 5,856 ballots cast by the township's 7,581 registered voters, for a turnout of 77.2%.<ref>[http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/election-results/2008-gen-elect-presidential-results-monmouth.pdf 2008 Presidential General Election Results: Monmouth County], [[New Jersey Department of State]] Division of Elections, December 23, 2008. Accessed December 3, 2012.</ref> In the [[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2004|2004 presidential election]], Republican [[George W. Bush]] received 68.8% of the vote (3,929 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat [[John Kerry]] with 28.5% (1,629 votes) and other candidates with 0.5% (37 votes), among the 5,708 ballots cast by the township's 7,200 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 79.3.<ref>[http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/election-results/2004-presidential_monmouth_co_2004.pdf 2004 Presidential Election: Monmouth County], [[New Jersey Department of State]] Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed December 3, 2012.</ref>

In the [[New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2013|2013 gubernatorial election]], Republican [[Chris Christie]] received 83.5% of the vote (2,630 cast), ahead of Democrat [[Barbara Buono]] with 15.2% (478 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (40 votes), among the 3,189 ballots cast by the township's 7,624 registered voters (41 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 41.8%.<ref name=2013Elections>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/2013-results/2013-general-election-results-governor-monmouth.pdf |title=Governor - Monmouth County |date=January 29, 2014 |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections |access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref><ref name=2013VoterReg>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/2013-results/2013-general-election-ballotscast-monmouth.pdf |title=Number of Registered Voters and Ballots Cast - November 5, 2013 - General Election Results - Monmouth County|date=January 29, 2014 |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections |access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref> In the [[New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2009|2009 gubernatorial election]], Republican Chris Christie received 76.7% of the vote (3,174 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat [[Jon Corzine]] with 17.9% (741 votes), Independent [[Chris Daggett]] with 4.7% (193 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (16 votes), among the 4,139 ballots cast by the township's 7,433 registered voters, yielding a 55.7% turnout.<ref>[http://www.njelections.org/election-results/2009-governor_results-monmouth.pdf 2009 Governor: Monmouth County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017230351/http://www.njelections.org/election-results/2009-governor_results-monmouth.pdf |date=2012-10-17 }}, [[New Jersey Department of State]] Division of Elections, December 31, 2009. Accessed December 3, 2012.</ref>