Elected Officials

Many elected officials within the Township

are proud members of the Randolph Republican Club

Mark H. Forstenhausler

Mayor

Mayor Mark H. Forstenhausler was appointed in February of 2014 to fill the council seat left vacant by Thomas MacArthur and then was elected to three full terms beginning in 2015. Mark, who served as deputy mayor in 2017 and 2025 as well as mayor in both 2018 and 2021, has been a long-time volunteer, serving as a volunteer firefighter in Randolph for 31 years. He served as Millbrook Company 2 Battalion Chief in 1999 to 2000 and Randolph Township Fire Department Chief in 2005 to 2006. Mark has served as a commissioner on the Randolph Township Board of Adjustment for three years. Since joining the council, he has also served as council liaison to the recreation committee, safety committee, environmental commission, municipal alliance committee, traffic advisory committee, trails committee, wildlife management advisory committee and the board of education, in addition to many other work groups and committees. Mark served on the board of engineers and is a trustee of the Millbrook Fire Association. He is a parishioner of Resurrection Parish. Before moving to Randolph, he was a volunteer firefighter in North Caldwell for 17 years. There he served in many roles including fire company president and assistant fire chief. After achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, Mark volunteered as an assistant scout master. He is a graduate of Montclair State University. He has recently retired as a fire protection consultant from Encore Fire Protection DBA City Fire Equipment Company in Parsippany. A township resident for 32 years, Mark resides on Heather Lane with his wife Susan and daughter Lauren who attended Randolph High School and graduated from Cornell University.

Lou Nisivoccia

Deputy Mayor

Lou Nisivoccia was elected to the Randolph Township Council in November of 2018. He served as mayor in 2023 and deputy mayor in 2022 and is presently serving as Deputy Mayor in 2026. Lou has served as president of the Randolph Area Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the following Randolph Township committees: Municipal Alliance Committee, trails advisory committee, traffic advisory committee, economic development committee, recreation advisory committee, advisory environmental and landmark committee, board of health, and a trustee on Randolph Township’s library board. He is also a member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board, First Bank Advisory Board and the Randolph Football Alumni Association and serves as a catechist at St. Matthew the Apostle Parish. He is a past president of The 200 Club of Morris County, a non-profit organization supporting the families of fallen police officers and firefighters. A graduate of Randolph schools and Cornell University, Lou is the founder and managing director of Nisivoccia Consulting LLC. A lifelong Randolph resident, Lou resides on Heritage Court with his wife (and best friend!) Jackie and their two children who attend Randolph schools.

Christine Carey

Councilwoman

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Joe Hathaway

Councilman

Joe Hathaway was appointed in May of 2022 to fill the vacant council seat following Lance Tkacs’ retirement. He was then elected in November 2022 to fill the remainder of the unexpired term. Joe is a graduate of Yale University where he majored in political science. He also played varsity football, earning All-Ivy League honors. Professionally, Joe has spent over a decade in corporate affairs and communications, both in the public and private sectors. He has managed executive communications and operations in the healthcare industry, both at global pharmaceutical companies as well as healthcare technology and marketing agencies. He also has years of experience in financial services, having spent time at large, publicly traded institutions, as well as specialty insurance firms. Joe was named to public relations industry trade publication, PRWeek’s 40 Under 40 list in 2016. From 2010 to 2014, Joe worked for the state of New Jersey as an advance director for the Office of the Governor, leading operations and logistics for all public engagements between the office, constituents and municipalities across the state. A lifelong New Jersey resident, Joe attended Clifton High School, where he captained the football and track teams, and where he still holds the shot-put record. He was inducted into the Clifton High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015. Prior to Joe’s appointment to the township council, he served on the Randolph Recreation Advisory Committee. Outside of Randolph, Joe is a member of the Yale Football Alumni Association. He and his wife Whitney live on Wilkeshire Boulevard in the Center Grove section of the township with their two young children, James and Elle.

Helene Elbaum

Councilwoman

Helene Elbaum was elected to the Randolph Township council in November 2022. As a third-generation resident, Helene’s family moved to Randolph over 40 years ago. A graduate of Randolph High School and Drew University Madison, she currently works as executive vice president of Newmark Commercial Real Estate in Cedar Knolls, New Jersey’s largest women-owned commercial real estate firm. As a commercial real estate salesperson, she specializes in the leasing and sales of professional offices, medical, retail, and industrial properties throughout New Jersey. Helene also serves as Newmark’s in-house expert in land redevelopment and property repositioning. In 2021, she received the Globe Street’s Women of Influence Award for her contributions to the industry. As an avid volunteer in Randolph, Helene served on several municipal committees and boards. Most notably, she has served on the Randolph Economic Development Committee (EDC) for over 10 years, most recently as vice-chair. During her tenure on the EDC, she was involved with many of the committee’s initiatives that continue today. Helene was also instrumental in the creation of the EDC’s social media presence as well as its role with the recreation department’s efforts in recruiting businesses to participate at the Randolph country fair. Utilizing her background in real estate, Helene served as a commissioner on the Randolph Township Planning Board. She was also a member of the Randolph Parks Advisory Committee, and is currently serving as vice president on the board of directors of the Randolph Area Chamber of Commerce. Helene resides in the Mount Freedom section of the township.

Joanne Veech

Councilwoman

Joanne Veech was selected August 4, 2011 to fill the vacancy resulting from the resignation of former council member Gary Algeier and then was elected for a full term beginning in 2013 and then was re-elected in 2016. Veech, who served as deputy mayor in 2014, mayor in 2015 and then deputy mayor again in 2020, is a long time volunteer who has been a commissioner on the board of adjustment for over a decade and chaired Randolph Township’s Traffic Advisory Committee (TAC), bringing statewide recognition for Randolph’s lead on teen driver safety. She developed and delivered the modified “Alive at 25” program to thousands of adults, police officers and teens and co-authored a “How to Guide” for municipalities to start their own TAC and conduct high school parent and teen programs. Councilwoman Veech was awarded the New Jersey Safety Council’s Distinguished Service Award, “The Beacon Award,” in 2009 and was named a “New Jersey State GDL Champion 2011.” She has served as liaison to the following boards and committees: Recreation, Parks, Library, Board of Health, Safety, Planning Board, Traffic Advisory, Environmental, Trail, and newly formed Randolph Community Garden subcommittee. Joanne is responsible for spearheading the effort behind the community garden at Veterans Community Park and the New Resident Welcome meeting and booklet. She has a long history of service with recreation and high school sports’ booster clubs. She has a BS in accounting, an MBA from FDU, and is a NJ Certified Internal Auditor in inactive status. She recently retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and resides with her husband Skip on Tammy Hill Trail. Her two grown married sons Billy and Blaise live nearby.

Denise Thornton

Councilwoman

Denise Thornton was appointed in May of 2024 to fill the vacant council seat following the resignation of Marie Potter. Denise is a graduate of Norwich University where she majored in criminal justice. She has focused her professional career on the safety of Morris County residents for the past 22 years. Starting her career as a police dispatcher and later rising through the ranks to be a Detective Captain in the Morris County Sheriff’s Office; Denise has been involved with policy and procedure development and numerous community relation programs including Project Lifesaver, and the Hope One Advisory Board. She has led teams through two international CALEA accreditations and has been a member of the Morris County Sheriff’s Honor Guard for 18 years. She is a graduate and instructor of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police Command and Leadership program and currently commands the Criminal Investigations Division which offers support to Morris County’s 39 municipalities. Her community involvement extends to serving as President of the Randolph Township Library Board of Trustees, Vice President of the Ironia Fire Co. 4’s Ladies Auxiliary, coaching boys basketball, and being a lector at St. Matthew the Apostle Church. Denise and her husband, Scott, live in the Ironia section of the township with their two children, Jayson and Elizabeth.