Toms River Council Election 2021: Terrance Turnbach

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The 2021 election campaign culminates when voters go to the polls Nov. 2 to choose Toms River Township Council members.

Each of the four ward seats are up for election. There are two candidates seeking each ward seat, which is a four-year term.

Patch asked each candidate to answer questions to give voters information about who they are and their stances on various issues. We are printing their responses in full, unedited except for spelling or punctuation.

Here are the answers from Terrance Turnbach, who is running for Ward 4.

Age: 45

Town of residence: Toms River

Position sought: Councilmember Ward 4

Party affiliation: Democrat

Family: Married to wife Sara, three children, Emma (11), Jack (9), Ella (7)

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Villanova University; Juris Doctor from Seton Hall Law School

Occupation: Attorney

Previous elective office, if any:

Incumbent, Toms River Ward 4 Councilmember

Do you or anyone in your family work for the state, county or local governments?

No

Why are you seeking office?

I am seeking office to continue to work hard to represent all of the residents of Toms River and to make sure the voices of the public are heard in Town Hall. I will continue to fight for funding for our schools through stabilization aid and legislation that does away with the politics of the S2 funding formula. I will continue to vote against redevelopment projects such as the two 10-story towers in downtown Toms River. I will continue to work week in and week out to make sure the needs of our most vulnerable residents are met.

What do you feel is the most pressing issue facing the community, and what do you want to do about it?

I have knocked on over a thousand doors during the course of this campaign and the two issues that are most pressing in our town are school funding and overdevelopment. With regard to school funding, I have been in constant contact with our state Legislature and Board of Education to secure stabilization aid for the Toms River Regional School District. Our application is in and I am in constant communication with our Legislature to make sure Toms River receives appropriate funding. I have also founded and established the Toms River Education Foundation, a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit to raise money for extracurricular activities for our students. We have raised $25,000 this year alone.

With regard to overdevelopment, we have to continue to purchase open space and preserve these purchases as parks and recreation areas. We also have to listen to the residents when it comes to projects like the two 10-story towers in downtown Toms River.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking to serve?

The critical difference between myself and David Ciccozi is that I am for the preservation of open space and he is prodevelopment. Mr. Ciccozi stood before the Township Council and publicly supported the construction of two 10-story towers downtown stating that he is a business owner downtown and that this would benefit his business.

I am also a business owner downtown. However, when you are an elected officer, your vote is supposed to support what the public wants, not what benefits you personally. The public does not want this development. Mr. Ciccozi is the president of the Toms River Township Planning Board and is responsible for approving all of the development in Toms River.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My campaign platform is built upon hard work and an ability to listen. It is critically important to focus on keeping taxes stable through a focus on shared services and elimination of patronage jobs. We must offer incentives and find ways to promote our local business owners so that these businesses can survive in the post-pandemic era. We must preserve open space to preserve the structural integrity of our roadways and the environment.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you will be effective in office?

I zealously advocated for funding for the Field of Dreams and secured $400,000 for Toms River.

I recognized a problem with our Code Blue laws opening at different temperatures and I worked with our state Legislature to have the laws amended throughout the state of New Jersey. As a result of this effort, every Code Blue shelter in the State of New Jersey must open when the temperature drops to 32 degrees.

I have run the Toms River Food Distribution at the Toms River Presbyterian Church for more than 80 consecutive weeks. I have not missed one week of this distribution, and I am passionate about making sure the needs of our most vulnerable are met.

I ran my last campaign with a promise to rid Toms River of the opiate den that was the Red Carpet Inn and I delivered on that campaign promise.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am passionate about being involved in the community. I am the volunteer soccer coach for the St. Joseph's girls soccer team, a coach for the girls Toms River Futbol Club and an assistant baseball coach for the Toms River Titans. I serve on the board of The Hope Center and Habitat for Humanity. I am a volunteer with Just Believe Inc., and spend overnights in the Code Blue shelter trying to transition the homeless from the streets to stable housing.