Nardini, Howe, Polozzo Win Toms River BOE Seats

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Regional Board of Education will have a pair of newcomers after voters chose Jennifer Howe and Anna Polozzo while returning Joseph Nardini to the school board on Tuesday night.

According to unofficial results, Howe was the top vote-getter in the race for two, three-year terms representing Toms River, with 9,288. Nardini was second with 8,272 votes.

Incumbent Christopher Raimann, Howe's running mate received 7,550 votes; Danielle LeBright, Nardini's running mate, received 6,907; Erica Cirillo received 6,886 and Robert Onofrietti Jr. received 5,977. Onofrietti lost a re-elction bid in 2017 and was running with Cirillo, another newcomer, this year. Howe and Nardini escaped a campaign season that was particularly rife with vitriol.

South Toms River voters gave the nod to Polozzo; unofficial tallies had her ahead with 461 votes to 295 for incumbent Gigi Esparza. Esparza was seeking a third term.

South Toms River voters also were choosing a new mayor after Oscar Cradle chose not to seek re-election. Unofficial results had Gregory Handshy, the Democratic candidate, elected by a vote of 525 to 430 for Republican Sandford Ross Jr. In the council race, Democrat Samuel S. Fennell received 533 votes and Democrat Robert Taylor received 528. The Republicans, William E. Gleason and Thomas R. Rolzhausen had 414 and 411 respectively, according to unofficial totals.

Vote totals posted by about 9:30 p.m. by the Ocean County Board of Elections were updated early Wednesday with mail-in vote totals.

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