Incumbents lose in Toms River GOP primary for mayor, council

TOMS RIVER -- Councilman Daniel Rodrick won a resounding victory in the Republican mayoral primary Tuesday, defeating Mayor Maurice B. "Mo" Hill Jr., Geri Ambrosio and Robert Bianchini in a race that exposed the deep fissures in the township's GOP politics.

Rodrick received 4,567 votes, or almost 46% of the votes cast for mayor; while Geri Ambrosio, who was endorsed by the Toms River Regular Republican Club, garnered 2,756, and Hill trailed with 2,137. Also winning the primary for three council seats were Rodrick's running mates, Craig Coleman, with 4,035 votes; Thomas Nivison, with 4,090, and Lynn O'Toole, with 4,106. Rodrick and his running mates will be heavily favored to win in November in this staunchly Republican town.

They'll be opposed by Democratic mayoral candidate John Furey, a former township committeeman, and his running mates, Michelle Williams, Kajal Lal and Rhetta Jackson-Fair.

"The people of Toms River have spoken," Rodrick said late Tuesday night. "We love Toms River the way it is and want to keep it that way. Residents are tired of the development, the tax increases and the political patronage. Tonight we turned the page."

Rodrick gave special thanks to his running mates as well as the people who assisted on his campaign, including his wife and children, "who stuffed countless envelopes and put up 1,000 lawn signs."

"I also want to thank the voters," he said. "I'm truly humbled by the overwhelming support we have received."

Hill's running mates, Councilmen Kevin M. Geoghegan, Josh Kopp and Matt Lotano, were defeated in their attempt to secure their second, four-year council terms.

"We had an uphill fight," Hill said Tuesday night. "We had to fight the Gilmore element of the party the whole time." Hill was referring to Ocean County GOP Chairman George R. Gilmore, who supported Ambrosio in the mayor's race. Hill said a county-mandated revaluation and the costly settlement of a tax case with BASF also hurt his chances.

Hill said he had called Rodrick to congratulate him. "I’m proud of this record of this team over the last four years," he said.

Rodrick's campaign focused on overdevelopment and opposition to the Hill administration's ambitious plans to redevelop Toms River's downtown. Rodrick and Hill were criticized by Gilmore for running "antisemitic" campaigns; in Rodrick's case, Gilmore cited a flier of Rodrick's saying he was fighting "Lakewood style development."

Rodrick has strongly denied running an antisemitic campaign and criticized Gilmore for "owing millions in back taxes." He has been critical of development in town, including more than 1,400 housing units that have been built or have been approved in Toms River's formerly rural North Dover section.

Ambrosio's slate received support from Gilmore, a long-time opponent of Hill.

Among the other key issues in the race was the planned redevelopment of Toms River's downtown, which township leaders have discussed for more than three decades. Rodrick and Ambrosio were both critical of plans by Capodagli Property Co. to build two apartment buildings downtown; both said the initial 10-story height of the buildings was too big, and echoed some residents' concerns that the project, along with other downtown building proposals, could turn Toms River into a "city."

Rodrick has long panned the downtown redevelopment plans, saying residents do not want large apartment buildings in the center of Toms River.

Hill announced late in the race that Capodagli had agreed to scale down the project, located at Main and Water streets, with the tower's size reduced to six stories each. But concerns over that project, along with a proposal to build a banquet hall and parking deck on Robbins Parkway, adjacent to Huddy Park, were panned by Hill's opponents. Rodrick's win likely dooms plans for a major apartment-based redevelopment in the downtown.

This year's race was the third consecutive contested primary among Republicans in Toms River. The party has been fractured since 2019, when Hill, who had been on the council since 2004, and Rodrick, who was first elected in 2017, challenged Coronato in the mayor's race. Coronato was chosen as the mayoral candidate by the Toms River Regular Republican Club and supported by Ocean County GOP Chairman George R. Gilmore, but Hill and Rodrick challenged the former prosecutor after not receiving the club's endorsement.

Hill won in spite of not being on the official GOP line in the primary, once considered a necessity in this deeply Republican town. In 2021, Rodrick, who by then had become a strong critic of Hill and his administration, won re-election to a ward council seat, along with one of his runningmates, Justin D. Lamb, while running off the line as well; the other two ward seats went to James Quinlisk and David Ciccozzi, supporters of Hill.

On Tuesday, Rodrick and his running mates again off the line, which this time was held by Hill and the three councilmen.

The mayor is the chief executive in Toms River's strong-mayor/council form of government, and prepares the budget, with the assistance of department heads and the administrator. The council then votes on the spending plan, and can make cuts before adopting it. The mayor also has the power to appoint an administrator and all department heads, with the advice and consent of the council.

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore since 1984. She's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle,  jmikle@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Incumbents defeated in Toms River primary for mayor, council seats