Howell, NJ targets ‘Mexicans’ and ‘Jews’ for housing discrimination, lawsuits say

🔴 Two Howell Township managers accuse officials of housing discrimination

🔴 They faced retaliation after refusing to enforce discriminatory rules, lawsuits say

🔴 The explosive accusations have already led to suspensions and resignations

HOWELL — In a pair of stunning lawsuits, the mayor and another elected official of this Monmouth County community are accused of trying to kick certain minority groups out of town.

The whistleblower lawsuits were filed separately by Howell's former Township Manager Joe Clark and Deputy Township Manager Matthew Howard. Both say they faced retaliation for pushing back against racial profiling.

Clark and Howard both accuse Mayor John Leggio and Councilman Ian Nadel of housing discrimination.

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In some instances, Leggio and Nadel are accused of trying to target homes "owned by Jews" or lived in by "Mexicans."

Leggio and Nadel did not respond to requests for comment.

Howell councilman accused of targeting Jewish-owned home

According to the township managers, Mayor Leggio joined the council in January 2025 and immediately teamed up with Councilman Nadel to implement discriminatory housing policies.

However, Nadel first took office in 2023. He's accused of targeting a home on Michelle Boulevard in 2024, before Leggio was elected.

In the lawsuit, Howard, the deputy township manager, said that Nadel told him the home was "owned by Jews."

The councilman first asked Howard if the homeowners could be fined for having too many people over on Friday nights for a regular religious gathering, the lawsuit said.

Nadel then tried to have a township employee stake out the home in case the guests stayed overnight, so that he could claim illegal occupancy and have the Jewish residents evicted, the lawsuit said.

According to the lawsuit, Howard said he refused to carry out the request and told Nadel that it was against the law.

Modelo beer plan among “racially motivated” proposals

Nadel also tried to implement "unlawfully biased and racially motivated" housing policies to target "Mexicans" and unauthorized immigrants, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit said one policy he pushed for would have targeted residents who drink Modelo, a Mexican beer.

In the lawsuit, Howard said he pushed back against the policy that would have required township workers to go around checking recycling bins for empty Modelo cans and bottles. This would serve as a proxy for identifying unauthorized immigrants.

And after a June 5 homicide in Howell, Nadel pushed for a ban on allowing unauthorized immigrants to rent in the township. The township managers refused because it was unlawful and discriminatory, the lawsuit said.

Nadel and Leggio also appeared to blame the township managers for the homicide. In a joint statement on Facebook, the elected officials said they were "completely disgusted with certain Township officials that allowed this situation to happen."

Fallout in Howell: suspensions, resignations, and lawsuits

In his lawsuit, then-Township Manager Clark said he was suspended unjustly for not rubber-stamping Leggio and Nadel's racial housing policies.

A week later, Clark resigned from his position in Howell. He quickly got a job as business administrator for Stone Harbor.

Another official, Councilman Fred Gasior, resigned in mid-June in protest of Clark's suspension.

Howard, the deputy township manager, filed a formal complaint. Similar to Clark, he also said that he had been targeted by Leggio and Nadel.

The mayor and councilman came up with a plan to bypass Howard and replace Clark with the township clerk, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuits seek back pay and punitive damages, and for Leggio and Nadel to go through anti-retaliation and anti-harassment training.

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