Ringwood operates within the Faulkner Act (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law) under the Council-Manager form of municipal government Plan E, implemented based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission as of January 1, 1979.
The borough is one of 71 municipalities (of the 565) statewide that use this form of government.
The borough's governing body is comprised of a seven-member Borough Council whose members are elected at-large in partisan elections to serve four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either three or four seats coming up for election in odd-numbered years as part of the November general election.
At an annual reorganization meeting held each January, the council selects a Mayor and a deputy mayor from among its members.

As of 2020, members of the Ringwood Borough Council are Mayor Linda M. Schaefer (R, term on council ends December 31, 2023; term as mayor ends 2020), Deputy Mayor John M. Speer (R, term on council ends 2023; term as deputy mayor ends 2020), Ryan M. Bolton (D, 2021), Robert A. Ferretti (D, 2021), Jaime Matteo-Landis (R, 2023), Michael McCracken (R, 2023) and Kathleen O'Keefe (D, 2021).
Ringwood operates within the Faulkner Act (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law) under the Council-Manager form of municipal government Plan E, implemented based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission as of January 1, 1979. The borough is one of 71 municipalities (of the 565) statewide that use this form of government. The borough's governing body is comprised of a seven-member Borough Council whose members are elected at-large in partisan elections to serve four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either three or four seats coming up for election in odd-numbered years as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held each January, the council selects a Mayor and a deputy mayor from among its members.
As of 2020, members of the Ringwood Borough Council are Mayor Linda M. Schaefer (R, term on council ends December 31, 2023; term as mayor ends 2020), Deputy Mayor John M. Speer (R, term on council ends 2023; term as deputy mayor ends 2020), Ryan M. Bolton (D, 2021), Robert A. Ferretti (D, 2021), Jaime Matteo-Landis (R, 2023), Michael McCracken (R, 2023) and Kathleen O'Keefe (D, 2021).
Ringwood, New Jersey