Hill Overcomes Coronato, Rodrick In Bitter Toms River GOP Primary

TOMS RIVER, NJ — After two months of bitter campaigning, Toms River Republican voters have chosen Councilman Maurice "Mo" Hill as their candidate for mayor in November.

According to unofficial vote totals posted by the Ocean County Board of Elections, Hill has defeated former Ocean County prosecutor Joseph Coronato and Toms River Councilman Daniel Rodrick for the nomination in the 2019 Republican Primary in Toms River.

Voters also were asked to choose three Republican nominees for at-large Township Council seats among 10 candidates, and they approved Hill's running mates, Joshua Kopp, Matthew Lotano and Kevin Geoghegan for the three GOP ballot spots.

The vote represents a rejection of what was criticized by both Hill and Rodrick as a slate engineered by former Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore, who was forced to step down following his convictions in late April on loan application fraud and failure to pay payroll taxes to the federal government.

Hill, who was out, did not immediately return messages seeking comment. But Coronato issued a statement immediately.

"I congratulate Mo Hill and his team on a strong race," Coronato said. "Now it's time to set aside our differences, come together as a party and ensure that Republican leadership continues to guide Toms River into the future."

The Republicans selected Tuesday will go on the November general election ballot to face the Democratic candidate Jonathan Petro, who's running for mayor, and his running mates for council, Drew Boyle, Karin Sage and Michele Williams. Petro and his slate were unopposed for the Democratic nominations.

"Tonight, I was happy to have the opportunity to personally congratulate Councilman Hill on his success in his primary," Petro, who is chairman of the Greater Toms River Chamber of Commerce. "I know we will disagree often in the campaign season ahead, as we turn away from failed policies and failures of leadership that have changed the town that I love."

"Voters in November will have a stark choice," Petro said. "I know Toms River is on the wrong track because of overdevelopment and irresponsible overtaxation, all on my opponent's watch. I believe that Toms River will be best served by my incredible running mates and our positive vision for our hometown, as we restore faith in our public servants."

The unofficial vote tallies were as follows:

For the Republican mayoral race, Hill received 3,057 votes, Coronato was second with 2,264 and Rodrick was third with 1,546.

In the council race, Kopp led with 2,720 votes, followed by Lotano with 2,661 and Geoghegan with 2,638. Coronato's running mates, Christian Momm (2,425), Ginny Rhine (2,422) and John J. Meehan (2,349) were next, followed by Rodrick's running mates, Justin D. Lamb, who had 1,647, George Lobman, who had 1,604, and Ken Londregan, who had 1,582. Heather Richards-Barone, who ran a solo council campaign, received 945 votes.

In the Democratic primaries, Petro received 1,489 votes, and there were 33 write-in votes for mayor. In the council race, Williams received 1,393 votes; Boyle received 1,388, and Sage received 1,351. There were 52 write-in votes cast.

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