HOWELL – Township Manager Jeffrey Mayfield’s final day in town hall will be Sept. 15. Mayfield recently submitted his resignation and officials have launched a search for his successor.
Mayfield was hired as Howell’s deputy manager in February 2014 following his retirement as a captain in the Howell Police Department. He served on the police force for more than 30 years.
“I was hired as a patrolman in March 1983 and was very fortunate to have worked under the leadership of Howell’s first police chief, Harvey Morrell, who I am still in frequent contact with and from whom I have learned much. At that time I was assigned to Sgt. Ronald Carter’s squad where I spent the first few years of my career,” Mayfield said.
Carter eventually went on to serve as Howell’s police chief for 22 years.
“I was part of a tactical unit for 21 years, including being able to be the first commander of the Monmouth County Emergency Response Team. This team was and still is one of the most competent and professional specialized units in New Jersey,” Mayfield said.
“I was extremely blessed to have risen to the rank of captain, which I held for the last 10 years of my career until I retired in April 2013. There were so many people who built into me and taught so much through my tenure as a police officer that I could never name them all,” he said.
Following an 11-month stint as the deputy manager, Mayfield was appointed Howell’s township manager by the Township Council in January 2015.
“I have been blessed more than I deserve to have been able to work for the citizens of Howell and the incredible staff for nearly 35 years. It has been a pleasure and incredibly fulfilling even through the more challenging of times,” Mayfield said.
“God has opened so many doors and given me so many opportunities that Howell played such a large role in. I am grateful and will never forget the great people I have worked with and the interesting projects I was able to play a part in at the police department and then in the manager’s office,” he said.
“In an ironic coming full circle in a sense, I was afforded the very important and humbling opportunity to name the current chief of police, Andrew Kudrick, who I trained when he was a Police Explorer and I was a young sergeant. Later, he was assigned to my squad when I was a lieutenant and he became a patrolman,” Mayfield said.
Mayfield said his professional future is not determined yet, but he said he will definitely spend more time with his childhood sweetheart and wife of nearly 35 years, his two daughters and their husband and significant other, as well as his new grandson.
Mayor Theresa Berger took a moment during the Sept. 5 council meeting to thank Mayfield for his efforts on behalf of the municipality.
“I want to thank Mr. Mayfield for all the service he provided for the township. He will be missed,” Berger said.
In a release regarding the manager’s position, officials described Howell as a growing rural/suburban full-service community and said they are seeking an experienced manager to direct the day-to-day operations of the council-manager governed municipality. The person selected for the position will oversee Howell’s $47 million budget and more than 300 employees.
A special council meeting will be held on Sept. 18 and candidates for the manager’s position are expected to be interviewed in closed session.
In addition to searching for a new municipal manager, officials are also seeking to a new director of law. McKenna Torcivia, who was the first person hired as Howell’s in-house attorney several years ago, recently left that position.