Howell Council Meeting Tuesday To Discuss Cannabis, Lawsuit

HOWELL, NJ — The Howell Council is holding a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss how recreational cannabis or medical cannabis should be regulated.

On the agenda for an executive session on the same day is a discrimination lawsuit filed against the township by Orthodox Jewish group Congregation Kollel.

"The Governing Body of the Township of Howell intends to discuss certain matters which are deemed confidential," the meeting notice said.

Asbury Park Press reported that there is a proposed settlement on the table for the township to buy out the land owned by the congregation.

Five years ago, Howell blocked the project for a new school on that property, prompting accusations of antisemitism on social media and eventually leading to the lawsuit.

Before the council convenes in executive session it will fill the post left open by deputy Mayor Thomas Russo, who resigned earlier this month, stating that he was his "personal circumstances" were going to change as his law firm was entering an expansion phase.

The council will select from a pool of three names submitted by the Republican Committee: Suzanne Brennan, Daniel Cardellichio and John Leggio.

Brennan ran for mayor last year against incumbent Theresa Berger, who also defeated Cardellichio in the 2016 election. Leggio currently serves on the Howell Planning Board.

The special meeting on cannabis will be held at 6 p.m. after the council convenes for executive session.

The meeting was previously scheduled for Nov. 9 was but canceled due to a lack of quorum.

The council will discuss how recreational cannabis or medical cannabis should be regulated, zoned and permitted for land use purposes in Howell.

An ordinance was passed in July banned any type of cannabis business from setting up shop in Howell. However, council members agreed to decide amongst themselves on a timeframe to revisit the issue.

Marijuana use was legalized in New Jersey last year, but state lawmakers left it up to each town to decide if they wanted to ban or limit the number of dispensaries locally.

If the town had opted in, it would have been bound to this decision for five years, but by opting out the decision can be reversed at any moment.

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