2023 Toms River Election Guide: Decision Day

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The 2023 general election is upon us, and the polls open at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

If you chose to vote by mail, you have until 8 p.m. to turn in your ballot, using a secure drop box, mailing your ballot back or hand-delivering it to the Ocean County Board of Elections.

There are races for mayor and council in Toms River, along with three seats on the Board of Education. Candidate questionnaires are linked at the bottom of this article.

The primary focus in Toms River has been the mayoral race between Republican Dan Rodrick and Democrat Ben Giovine.

Rodrick won a contentious Republican primary that focused on a proposed downtown apartment complex with two 10-story towers. Rodrick has been a center of controversy since his election to the council in 2017 as a Democrat. He switched parties less than a year later and was persistently at odds with the rest of the council. He was censured three times by the rest of the council — in 2019 over campaign rhetoric leading up to the mayoral primary, which the resolution described as having "overtly anti-Semitic overtones;" in May 2020 over information leaked from an executive session that officials said could have opened the town up to litigation, and later in 2020 over a photo he took of a resident from the dais.

Rodrick defeated incumbent Mayor Maurice "Mo" Hill and challenger Geri Ambrosio in the June 2023 primary, then issued a warning from the council dais at the next meeting that any Republican who opposed him in the mayoral campaign would face consequences.

Giovine became the Democratic mayoral candidate after the original candidate, John Furey, dropped out of the race in August. He has seen some public support from Republicans who oppose Rodrick, as well as Democrats.

The Democrats' Township Council slate has been criticized by some in the party over the inclusion of candidates who were mostly unknown. Only Michele Williams, who serves on the school board, has previous experience. Rhetta Jackson-Fair, who runs a Code Blue shelter in Berkeley Township, is new to politics, and Ruby Franco was a late replacement on the Democratic council ticket.

Rodrick's council running mates did not answer a Patch questionnaire; instead, Rodrick supplied all of their answers.

Two people are running for a seat on the council as write-in candidates: Dana Tormollan and Paul Williams. Tormollan, a Republican, has been vocal in her opposition to Rodrick. Williams, a Democrat, has openly challenged the Toms River and Ocean County Democrats, accusing them of not putting in an effort to put forward competitive candidates.

Results for the write-in candidates are not expected to be available until the vote totals are certified, by Nov. 22.

Toms River Regional Board of Education

Ashley Lamb is the lone incumbent running for one of the three seats. Lisa Contessa and Michele Williams are not seeking re-election to the school board. Lamb is joined on the Vote Common Sense ticket by Diane Oxley and Paola Pascarella.

Running on the For The Students slogan are James Capone and LeRoy Marshall.

Lamb, Oxley and Pascarella are running on the "Vote Common Sense" slogan. Campaign expense and fundraising filings by Oxley and Pascarella show each has received donations of $525 from the Save Toms River Committee to Elect Rodrick of mayoral candidate Dan Rodrick. Lamb has not filed campaign paperwork as of Sunday, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission website.

Their campaign slogan appears to align with the political action committee Elect Common Sense, of radio host Bill Spadea, whom Lamb and her husband, Justin Lamb, have been affiliated dating back to Ashley Lamb's run for Ocean County Commissioner in 2022. Spadea's PAC is new in 2023, an offshoot of his "Common Sense Club;" Ocean County Republican Club chairman George Gilmore is a senior adviser to Elect Common Sense, according to a press release on Insider NJ.

As of Sunday, there were no direct donations from the Elect Common Sense PAC to Lamb or her running mates.

Capone, the owner of Capone's Gourmet Pizza and Pasta downtown, has not filed a report of donations with NJ ELEC as of Sunday. Marshall, who is a sergeant in the Lakewood police department, has not made any campaign filings as of Sunday.

Here is what you need to know about voting:

The Rundown

• Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7. Polling locations are open 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Vote-by-mail ballots: Must be postmarked by 8 p.m. Nov. 7, must be received by Nov. 13
• Where can I drop off my vote-by-mail ballot? The deadline is 8 p.m. Nov. 7.
• Track my mail-in ballot.
• Voting in person on Nov. 7 but not sure of your polling place? Search it on the NJ Division of Elections Polling Place search. All you need is your street address and ZIP code.

Who Is On The Ballot?

Voters are being asked to choose candidates for the New Jersey State Legislature, Ocean County Board of Commissioners and the local level in 2023.

NJ Senate and Assembly

Toms River is in the 10th District. The candidates for state Senate, a four-year term, are Republican Jim Holzapfel and Democrat Jeff Horn. Holzapfel is the incumbent and has served in the Legislature since 1994, and since 2012 in the state Senate. Horn is a local attorney.

The candidates for the two, two-year terms in the Assembly are Republicans Gregory McGuckin and Paul Kanitra and Democrats John LaMacchia and Emma Mammano. McGuckin is an incumbent and was elected to the Assembly in 2012. Kanitra is the mayor of Point Pleasant Beach. LaMacchia is the director of administration for Global Safety First, which sells personal protective equipment to hospitals and first responders. Mammano is a mental health counselor.

Ocean County Surrogate and Board of Commissioners

There is one three-year term available on the Board of Commissioners, as Joseph Vicari is retiring at the end of 2023 after more than 35 years on the board. Republican Frank Sadeghi and Democrat Roxanne L. Barnes are vying for the seat. Sadeghi is the founder of Morgan Engineering, a firm that provides municipal engineering services. Barnes is a pastor and founded Newlife Counseling Center, where she works as a professional substance abuse and anger management family counselor.

The Surrogate is a five-year term. The candidates are Republican Jeffrey W. Moran and Democrat Charles D. Bauer. Moran is the incumbent. He was appointed to the post in June 2003, and was elected in November 2003, then re-elected in 2008, 2013, and 2018. Bauer is an attorney in private practice in Toms River.

The duties of the Surrogate are mostly administrative. They provide for the administration of an estate, whether it be the process of admitting a will to probate or grant letters of administration to an appropriate person to carry on the duties of the decedent. Letters of Guardianship are also granted to persons for minor children who are awarded funds through a court or from an estate as well as guardians for mentally incapacitated persons. As Clerk of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Probate Part, the Surrogate's Court reviews and files adoptions, declaration of death actions, appointment of guardian for an incapacitated persons, trusteeships, conservatorship and accounts.

Toms River Township Mayor and Council

There are two candidates for the four-year term as mayor. They are, in alphabetical order:

• Toms River Mayoral Election 2023: Ben Giovine
• Toms River Mayoral Election 2023: Dan Rodrick

There are eight candidates for the three, four-year seats on the Township Council. They are, in alphabetical order:

• Toms River Council Election 2023: Craig Coleman
• Ruby Franco (questionnaire was not returned)
• Toms River Council Election 2023: Rhetta Jackson-Fair
• Toms River Council Election 2023: Tom Nivison
• Toms River Council Election 2023: Lynn O'Toole
• Toms River Council Election 2023: Dana Tormollan
• Toms River Council Election 2023: Michele Williams
• Toms River Council Election 2023: Paul C. Williams

Toms River Regional Board of Education

There are five candidates seeking three, three-year seats on the school board. Ashley Lamb, Diane Oxley, James Capone and LeRoy Marshall did not respond to multiple requests to fill out candidate questionnaires.

Toms River School Board Election 2023: Paola Pascarella

Note: This article has been updated to correct the number of seats up for election on the Toms River Regional Board of Education. Patch regrets the error.