Editing Garwood, New Jersey (section)

===Local government===
[[File:Garwood, NJ municipal building from northeast (2), Oct. 2024.jpg|thumb|Garwood Municipal Building]]
Garwood is governed under the [[Borough (New Jersey)|borough]] form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.<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 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. The mayor is elected [[direct election|directly]] by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year 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. 95.</ref> The borough form of government used by Garwood 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 [[veto override|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.<ref>Cerra, Michael F. [http://www.njslom.org/magart0307_p14.html "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924045019/http://www.njslom.org/magart0307_p14.html |date=2014-09-24 }}, [[New Jersey State League of Municipalities]]. Accessed November 30, 2014.</ref><ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/forms_of_municipal_government_in_new_jersey_9220.pdf#page=6 "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"], p. 6. [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref>

{{As of|2025}}, the [[mayor]] of Garwood is [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] Jen Blumenstock, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. Members of the Garwood Borough Council are Council President Clarissa Nolde (D, 2025), Karina Boto (D, 2026), Sean Foley (D, 2027), Vincent Kearney (D, 2026), Marc Lazarow (D, 2025), and Chase Padusniak (D, 2027).<ref name=MayorCouncil>[https://garwood.org/index.asp?SEC=095FA6D9-CD65-4643-873B-9C54D9815129&Type=B_DIR Mayor and Council], Borough of Garwood. Accessed January 18, 2025. "The Borough of Garwood is a Borough form of Government with a Mayor and six (6) Council people elected by the citizens. There are four (4) districts in the Borough of Garwood and the Governing Body is elected by the citizens at large."</ref><ref name=UnionOfficials>[http://www.unioncountyvotes.com/elected-officials/ ''Union County Elected Officials''], [[Union County, New Jersey]] Clerk. Accessed January 18, 2025.</ref><ref name=Union2024>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Union/122834/web.345435/#/summary General Election November 5, 2024 Official Results], [[Union County, New Jersey]], updated November 22, 2024. Accessed January 18, 2025.</ref><ref name=Union2023>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Union/119032/web.317647/#/summary General Election November 7, 2023 Official Results], [[Union County, New Jersey]], updated November 22, 2023. Accessed January 3, 2024.</ref><ref name=Union2022>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Union/116135/web.303253/#/summary General Election November 8, 2022 Official Results], [[Union County, New Jersey]], updated November 21, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref>

In December 2022, the borough council appointed Rachel Herz to fill the seat expiring in December 2024 that had been held by Louis Petruzzelli, who served briefly before resigning. Petruzzelli had been appointed to fill the seat that had originally been held by Heather Loffredo until she stepped down from office in September 2022.<ref>Mehorter, Kelly.[https://uchawk.com/5281/ "Garwood Appoints Republican Rachel Herz To Vacant Seat"], ''Union County Hawk'', December 14, 2022. "At its December 8 meeting, the Garwood Borough Council appointed Republican Rachel Herz to fill Councilman Louis Petruzzelli’s vacated seat after he resigned last month.... Ms. Herz’s seat on the council has been vacated twice in the past six months – first by Councilwoman Heather Loffredo, who stepped down in September, and then by Mr. Petruzelli, who resigned in November after attending only one meeting as an official member of the governing body."</ref>

In January 2019, the borough council selected Russell Graham from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that became vacant when Sara Todisco took office as mayor.<ref>[https://garwood.org/vertical/sites/%7B7F1088A0-CEC9-4505-80EE-1DF1BF7DFFBD%7D/uploads/01-24-2019-MINUTES.pdf Minutes of the Meeting of Mayor and Council for January 24, 2019], Borough of Garwood. Accessed February 21, 2020. "Motion by Councilman Benoit to nominate Russell Graham to fill the vacancy, second by Council President Lazarow.... Councilman Graham was sworn in by the Pete Corvelli, Union County Sheriff."</ref> Graham served on an interim basis until the November 2019 general election, when he was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.<ref name=Union2019>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Union/98875/web/#/summary General Election November 5, 2019 Official Results], [[Union County, New Jersey]], updated December 5, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.</ref>

The Borough Administrator is Kyle Harris. The Borough Clerk is Catherine D. Cameron.<ref name=Clerk/>