Ocean County GOP chair: Toms River candidates should apologize for 'antisemitic' campaign

TOMS RIVER -- Ocean County GOP Chairman George R. Gilmore has jumped into the bitter Republican primary fight for Toms River mayor, bashing Mayor Maurice B. "Mo" Hill Jr. and Councilman Daniel Rodrick for running what he terms "antisemitic" campaigns.

"The actions by Mo Hill and Dan Rodrick are disgraceful and have no place in our party," Gilmore said in a prepared statement. "We have seen this before when others have tried to divide the residents of our county using the same hateful rhetoric. Leaders from around the county stood united and condemned those actions. I am calling on every Republican -- commissioners, legislators and local leaders alike -- to join me in condemning this abhorrent behavior."

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Gilmore's statement featured a flier issued by Rodrick that featured a banner proclaiming the candidate has been "fighting Lakewood-style development," a reference to the growth in neighboring Lakewood which has been driven by an increase in the number of Orthodox Jewish residents.

Hill's statement congratulating another of his mayoral opponents, Geri Ambrosio, on being "endorsed" by the Toms River Jewish Community Council (both Ambrosio and the council deny that the endorsement happened), was also included as one of the items Gilmore claimed was "antisemitic". Last week, Tova Herskovitz, an Orthodox Jewish resident of Toms River, criticized Hill for a campaign flier that she said made it seem that only Christians of Italian or Irish descent were welcome in town.

Joining Gilmore in condemning the campaign rhetoric was Agudath Israel of America, which said, "At a time when antisemitism in New Jersey is at a record high, civic leaders carry the responsibility to counter hate and antisemitism, not promote it. Divisive and hateful language should never be used. We call upon civic leaders throughout the state to denounced this rhetoric and to demand an apology from those who have engaged in this divisive activity."

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Rodrick denied ever running an antisemitic campaign.

"I have never written or said anything anti-Semitic and I won't be silenced by Avi Schnall," he said, referring to the head of Agudath Israel. "Mayor Hill is already endorsed by the TRJCC and this is nothing more than an attempt by Hill to distance himself from that endorsement. The residents of Toms River won't buy it and I don't buy it either." So far, the Toms River Jewish Community Council has not officially endorsed anyone in the contentious mayor's race.

"As for Mr. Gilmore, he is no moral compass," Rodrick said. " Although pardoned for his crimes, Gilmore still owes millions in back taxes and is now working for the very developers and special interests I am fighting against."

Rodrick noted Gilmore is a consultant on a Seaside Heights project that would bring a 10-story building to the Boulevard, which he said is ironic since Ambrosio has spoken out against previous plans to build two, 10-story towers in downtown Toms River. The developer has since downsized the proposal to two, six-story towers.

Hill said he finds it ironic that Gilmore is condemning others for antisemitism when he supported the successful 2021 campaign of Rodrick and Councilman Justin Lamb, which included campaign fliers that were deemed offensive by some Orthodox Jewish residents.

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"I think it's disingenuous of Mr. Gilmore and a little hypocritical," Hill said. "Him throwing stones at me when he supported an antisemitic campaign in 2021."

Gilmore was pardoned by former President Donald Trump in January 2021, nearly two years after the long-time GOP chairman was convicted on two counts of failing to submit payroll taxes collected from employees of his law firm and one count of making a false application for a loan from OceanFirst Bank. Forced to resign his chairmanship after the conviction, Gilmore returned to party leadership last year, defeating Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy to take over as GOP chairman again.

Hill and Rodrick are running for mayor against Ambrosio and Robert Bianchini in an increasingly bitter race. Gilmore, a long-time foe of Hill, supported an unsuccessful attempt by the Toms River Regular Republican Club to be recertified as the township's official GOP club earlier this year. The club lost its recertification battle to Repubilcans for Toms River, which endorsed Hill for mayor.

The Toms River Republican Club endorsed Ambrosio, the club's former president, for the mayor's slot.

Gilmore has previously said he did not plan to endorse any slate in the race, even though Hill and his runningmates are supported by the official Toms River GOP organization.

But Hill is a long-time foe of Gilmore, while Ambrosio has been a close ally, sticking by the chairman even after his conviction.

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore for nearly 39 years. A finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in public service, she's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle, jmikle@gannettnj.com.

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This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: County GOP chair: Mo HIll, Dan Rodrick running 'antisemitic' campaign