Before European settlement, the land that would become Mansfield Township was occupied by the LenapeNative Americans. Mansfield was first formed on November 6, 1688, and reformed by Royal charter on May 9, 1770. Mansfield was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township were taken to form Fieldsboro (March 7, 1850, within township; became fully independent c. 1894), Bordentown Township (March 8, 1852) and Florence Township (March 7, 1872).[21]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 21.89 square miles (56.69 km2), including 21.73 square miles (56.29 km2) of land and 0.16 square miles (0.40 km2) of water (0.71%).[1][2]
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bishops Barn, Columbus (where the town hall is located), Georgetown, Hedding, Kinkora, Mansfield, Rising Sun Square (also known as Mansfield Square) and Three Tuns.[28][29] Homestead, a retirement village, consists of 1,200 homes in Columbus.
Liberty Lake is a 6-acre (24,000 m2) freshwater spring-fed lake, that allows boating, swimming and fishing.
Of the 3,401 households, 25.6% had children under the age of 18; 63.5% were married couples living together; 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 27.9% were non-families. Of all households, 24.8% were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01.[17]
20.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 18.3% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 27.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 86.0 males.[17]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $74,671 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,953) and the median family income was $97,774 (+/− $17,454). Males had a median income of $62,215 (+/− $5,997) versus $57,917 (+/− $10,212) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $38,899 (+/− $4,224). About 2.5% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.[41]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[14] there were 5,090 people, 2,077 households, and 1,561 families residing in the township. The population density was 234.3 inhabitants per square mile (90.5/km2). There were 2,122 housing units at an average density of 97.7 per square mile (37.7/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 95.42% White, 1.91% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.83% of the population.[39][40]
There were 2,077 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.86.[39][40]
In the township the population was spread out, with 18.7% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 31.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.[39][40]
The median income for a household in the township was $50,757, and the median income for a family was $59,040. Males had a median income of $45,560 versus $40,968 for females. The per capita income for the township was $26,559. About 2.9% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.[39][40]
Government
Local government
Mansfield Township is governed under the Township form of government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.[42] 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.[6][43] At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor. Legislative and executive powers of the township are exercised by the Township Committee as a whole, with the mayor presiding over meetings and voting as a member of the committee.[3]
As of 2024[update], members of the Mansfield Township Committee are Mayor Marcial Mojena (R, term on committee ends December 31, 2024; term as mayor ends 2024), Deputy Mayor Brian Sisz (R, 2024), Tim Boyd (R, 2025), Valerie Jennings (R, 2026), and Kelly Stobie (R, 2026).[3][44][45][46][47]
Local elections
In 2020, independent candidates Dan Golenda and Bob Tallon ran a successful write-in campaign against incumbent Republicans Janice DiGiuseppe and her running mate Efthimios "Paul" Tsiknakis, winning 4,812 total votes versus 4,262.[47] This was in response to a public outcry of Mansfield losing an affordable housing litigation suit, and the then-committee voting several actively-farmed parcels as "redevelopment" to cover financial issues in the township, which started a warehousing boom in the community. The following year 2021, Marcial Mojena (R) and Paul 'Brian' Sisz (R) ran a similarly successful "No More Warehouses" campaign.[46] In 2022, the committee adopted an ordinance to remove warehousing as a permitted use in all zones of the township, until the impact from the currently approved warehouses in the township could be evaluated.[48]
Janice A. DiGiuseppe resigned in August 2015, citing personal reasons for leaving office after five years.[49] The following month, the council selected Laverne Cholewa from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the vacancy.[50] In November 2015, Cholewa was elected to serve the two years remaining on the term of office previously held by DiGiuseppe.[51]
In 2023, Republicans Valerie Jennings and Kelly Stobie were elected, returning the Township Committee to 5-0 Republican control.
2013 revaluation issues
After a property revaluation was completed in 2013 and based on changes in tax levies by the municipality and the local school districts, the property tax rate increased by almost 50%, from $2.01 per $100 in assessed value in 2012 to $2.93 in 2013. A group of residents has complained to the New Jersey Division of Taxation, claiming that home values had been calculated incorrectly and arbitrarily, showing data that a sample of smaller homes saw taxes drop 8% while taxes on larger homes increased by 10%. The Mansfield Township tax assessor denied the claims and responded that the revaluation complied with all state legal requirements.[52]
Federal, state and county representation
Mansfield Township is located in the 3rd Congressional District[53] and is part of New Jersey's 8th state legislative district.[54][55][56]
Burlington County's Constitutional Officers are:
Clerk Joanne Schwartz (D, Southampton Township, 2028)[72][73]
Sheriff James H. Kostoplis (D, Bordentown, 2025)[74][75] and
Surrogate Brian J. Carlin (D, Burlington Township, 2026).[76][77]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 6,195 registered voters in Mansfield Township, of which 1,838 (29.7% vs. 33.3% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,957 (31.6% vs. 23.9%) were registered as Republicans and 2,396 (38.7% vs. 42.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[78] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 72.5% (vs. 61.7% in Burlington County) were registered to vote, including 91.3% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.3% countywide).[78][79]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,499 votes here (49.6% vs. 58.1% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 2,447 votes (48.6% vs. 40.2%) and other candidates with 43 votes (0.9% vs. 1.0%), among the 5,037 ballots cast by the township's 6,411 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.6% (vs. 74.5% in Burlington County).[80][81] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,612 votes here (50.2% vs. 58.4% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 2,500 votes (48.0% vs. 39.9%) and other candidates with 56 votes (1.1% vs. 1.0%), among the 5,206 ballots cast by the township's 6,277 registered voters, for a turnout of 82.9% (vs. 80.0% in Burlington County).[82] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 2,494 votes here (57.0% vs. 46.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 2,237 votes (51.1% vs. 52.9%) and other candidates with 38 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 4,379 ballots cast by the township's 5,822 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.2% (vs. 78.8% in the whole county).[83]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 2,254 votes here (68.1% vs. 61.4% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 974 votes (29.4% vs. 35.8%) and other candidates with 28 votes (0.8% vs. 1.2%), among the 3,312 ballots cast by the township's 6,427 registered voters, yielding a 51.5% turnout (vs. 44.5% in the county).[84][85] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,986 votes here (53.3% vs. 47.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,485 votes (39.9% vs. 44.5%), Independent Chris Daggett with 149 votes (4.0% vs. 4.8%) and other candidates with 86 votes (2.3% vs. 1.2%), among the 3,724 ballots cast by the township's 6,263 registered voters, yielding a 59.5% turnout vs. 44.9% for the county.[86]
Children in public school for seventh through twelfth grades attend the schools of the Northern Burlington County Regional School District, which also serves students from Chesterfield Township, North Hanover Township and Springfield Township, along with children of military personnel based at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst.[95][96] The schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[97]) are Northern Burlington County Regional Middle School[98] with 723 students in grades 7-8, and Northern Burlington County Regional High School[99] with 1,441 students in grades 9-12.[100] Both schools are in the Columbus section of Mansfield Township. Using a formula that reflects the population and the value of the assessed property in each of the constituent municipalities, taxpayers in Mansfield Township pay 46.5% of the district's tax levy, with the district's 2013–2014 budget including $35.6 million in spending.[101] The 7–12 district's board of education has nine members, who are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year.[102] The nine seats on the Board of Education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with two seats assigned to Mansfield Township.[103][104]
Students from Mansfield Township, and from all of Burlington County, are eligible to attend the Burlington County Institute of Technology, a countywide public school district that serves the vocational and technical education needs of students at the high school and post-secondary level at its campuses in Medford and Westampton.[105]
Transportation
Roads and highways
As of 2010[update], the township had a total of 76.02 miles (122.34 km) of roadways, of which 37.12 miles (59.74 km) were maintained by the municipality, 18.42 miles (29.64 km) by Burlington County and 13.67 miles (22.00 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 6.81 miles (10.96 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.[106]
Mansfield is the location where Interstate 95 (I-95) joins the New Jersey Turnpike at Interchange 6. I-95 stretches for 3.1 miles (5.0 km) through the township, connecting Florence Township in the west (via the turnpike's Pennsylvania Extension) to Bordentown Township on the township's northern border (via the mainline turnpike). The mainline of the turnpike continues south from its junction with I-95 into Springfield Township.[107][108][109] Local access to Mansfield is via interchanges with U.S. Route 206 in neighboring Bordentown Township and with U.S. Route 130 in neighboring Florence Township.[110]
Interstate 295 also passes through Mansfield, with one interchange, Exit 52, located within the township. Route 68 and County Route 543 also pass through Mansfield.
^ abcTownship Directory, Mansfield Township. Accessed June 13, 2024. "The Township Committee is the governing body established by State law for the Township form of government. Mansfield has five members who are elected to serve as Township Committee members. The terms of the members are for three years staggered terms, so that at least one member is up for election every year. One member is chosen annually to serve as Mayor."
^Tusim, Pearl J. History.php "1688 Mansfield Township", Mansfield Township, NJ. Accessed September 4, 2015. "Mansfield Township - from the name of the English town on The border of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England."
^About, Mansfield Township. Accessed May 22, 2022. "It is in the northeast part of Burlington County and is bounded north and northeast by Bordentown Township, northeast by Chesterfield Township, south by Springfield Township and southwest by Florence Township."
^Township of Mansfield Burlington County Meeting Minutes September 9, 2015, Township of Mansfield. Accessed June 21, 2016. "Review of candidates to fill unexpired term of Committeewoman Janice A DiGiuseppe... A motion was offered by Committeeman Puglia and second by Deputy Mayor Gable to appoint Laverne Cholewa to serve as Township Committeewoman in the position vacated by Committeewoman DiGiuseppe. Motion carried on a Roll Call Vote, recorded as follows..."
^Mansfield Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Mansfield Township Schools. Accessed February 5, 2023. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through six in the Mansfield Township School District. Composition: The Mansfield Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Mansfield Township."
^Zimmaro, Mark. "Sharp tax increase included in Northern Burlington budget", Burlington County Times, April 8, 2013. Accessed November 10, 2014. "The $35.6 million budget represents a 2.7 percent increase from last year's spending plan.... Tax rates in sending districts are determined using a state equalization formula that takes into account factors such as population and assessed values. Based on the formula, Chesterfield taxpayers fund 21.6 percent of Northern Burlington's tax levy, Mansfield 46.5 percent, North Hanover 14.2 percent and Springfield 17.7 percent."
^Oliver CromwellArchived 2013-01-29 at the Wayback Machine, Burlington County, New Jersey. Accessed November 26, 2013. "Oliver Cromwell was a decorated black soldier who fought under George Washington in the War for Independence. He was born a freeman in Black Horse, present day Columbus in Mansfield Township, on May 24, 1752."
^Tuscano, Joe. "Emotions High For Drewery", Observer-Reporter, November 9, 1984. Accessed November 26, 2013. "About 50 miles of New Jersey turnpike separate New Brunswick and Columbus. But it might just as well have been 500 miles as far as Willie Drewrey was concerned."
^Mansfield Township, Delaware River Heritage Trail. Accessed November 26, 2013. "Henry Miller Shreve, the son of Israel Shreve, became a successful steamboat designer and entrepreneur. In 1826, as American began its westward expansion, he was appointed to the challenging post of U.S. Superintendent of Western River Improvements. Shreveport, Louisiana is named for him."
^Tusim, Pearl J. History.php 1688 Mansfield Township, Mansfield Township. Accessed November 26, 2013. "Col. Israel Shreve - born in the Columbus ancestral home; home in Georgetown; his horse shot from under him four different times in Rev. War."