BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer

HOWELL — Sept. 9 is the deadline for the submission of petitions if an initiative proposed by the grassroots group Real Accountability for Taxpayers (RAFT) is to make it to the November ballot.

RAFT is a group of citizens who want to ask Howell residents if they would like to change Howell’s present council-manager form of government to a nonpartisan mayor-council form of government.

In order for RAFT to get its change of government question on the November ballot it must submit petitions signed by 6,300 Howell residents who are registered voters.

“We are hopeful that we will have the requisite number of signatures by Friday. However, if we don’t, we will continue to gather signatures for next year’s ballot. We still believe it is an important question that should be put to the voters,” said Sharon Carpenter-Migliaccio, one of RAFT’s core members.

Carpenter-Migliaccio said the group had encountered some resistance from residents who informed the RAFT representatives that they had been instructed by the mayor not to sign the petitions.

According to Carpenter-Migliaccio, Mayor Joseph M. DiBella has been addressing groups of residents and asking that they not sign RAFT’s petitions.

Carpenter-Migliaccio said RAFT will continue its efforts until there are enough signatures to get a change of government question on the ballot or until the mayor and Township Council ask voters if they want a charter study commission to examine the change of government issue.