Toms River Mayoral Candidate 2023: Maurice 'Mo' Hill

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Tuesday is Primary Election Day, and Toms River voters have several choices for the Republican nominee for the mayoral race.

Patch sent a questionnaire to all four candidates seeking their responses. Here are the replies from Maurice B. "Mo" Hill. They are unedited except for typographical errors and punctuation.

Name: Maurice B. "Mo" Hill, Jr., DMD

Age: 75

Family: Married 50 years to Roseann Bridget Kerrigan, 3 adult daughters, 3 sons-in-law, 6 grandchildren: Alex, 17; Christopher, 17; Alayna, 14; Grayson, 14; Kaitlyn, 11, and Madelynn, 8. Two of my daughters and their husbands live in Toms River along with four of my grandchildren.

Education: Rutgers University- 1969-BA in Biological Sciences; University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (now Rutgers Dental School)- December 1972- DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine)

Occupation: General Dentist (retired) Brick, NJ 1976-2017
Rear Admiral, United States Navy (retired) 1970-2005

Previous elective office, if any: Two terms as a Ward 3 councilman, 2 terms as a Councilman at Large and 3.5 years as mayor of Toms River.

Does any of your family work for the state, county or local government or a position that would force you to abstain from votes? No

Why are you seeking office?

Should the voters of Toms River grant me a second term as their mayor, my top priorities will be:

1) Continue the fight to reform the State’s school funding formula. S2, the bill that established the formula, is deeply flawed. We save the schools this year by fighting for the partial restoration of funding and by buying 17 developable acres at Silver Bay Elementary School. But we must have a long-term solution.

This is the biggest current threat to the quality of life in Toms River. Without good schools, families will flee. My biggest priority for the next year is to reform S2. I will work with other leaders statewide to make sure this happens.

2) Stopping over development. The ONLY way to stop over=development is through the acquisition of open space. In the last four years, we have acquired almost 100 acres, a record, which will be preserved as recreation, passive recreation or kept in its natural state FOREVER. During my first term, there has been only one multi-family development approved — the downtown revitalization project which will provide high-end housing to medical professions from Community Medical Center and others. There is no affordable housing component of the downtown revitalization.

All multi-family construction in the last four years was approved during the previous administration and is the result of the court-ordered settlement with the Council On Affordable Housing (COAH).

There will be no development on any of the Ciba-Geigy property so long as I am mayor of Toms River.

3) Defending our control of our zoning laws. During the first year of my term as mayor, the United States Department of Justice threatened to sue the Township under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) alleging that we have illegally used or zoning code to discriminate against the growing Orthodox Community in Toms River. DOJ offered to enter into negotiations rather than sue. We hired the best RLUPIA lawyer in the country who advised that we settle because we would surely lose a lawsuit, lose control of our zoning and be subject to $15-$20 million in fines to be paid by the property taxpayers. DOJ wanted 1-acre zoning for houses of worship anywhere in town. We settled for the zoning we had prior to 2017, 2 acres for houses of worship that cannot be built in residential neighborhoods.

We need to do a better job communicating about this issue. Frankly, we’ve avoided talking about it due to ongoing litigation and the threat of litigation. Unfortunately, that has left a vacuum of information that has been filled with falsehoods and allegations that I have sold out. Better communication about this important issue is a top priority for my second term.

Making downtown Toms River a vibrant place similar to what exists in Red Bank has been discussed for years. What would you propose to achieve that?

My administration is doing it. The downtown revitalization project is underway. There will soon be a ground-breaking for 285 high-end apartments/ retail stores at the old Red Carpet Inn site which will include a $2-3 million investment in public waterfront amenities like a boardwalk and amphitheater. My opponents claim we gave the $3 million property away for $1.00, but they conveniently omit the contractual requirement that the developer build these amenities and provide public access. There is a yet-to-be-approved proposal for a beautiful banquet hall/restaurant on the site of the dilapidated Sandy-damaged Boat Works building and a multi-level parking garage at the location of the current asphalt parking lot. Also yet to be approved are high-end apartments, retail and parking on the asphalt lot on Irons Street. I firmly believe that this revitalization project will be great for the entire Toms River community, many of whom don't go downtown now. It will be a great community spot with wonderful dining and entertainment options and an economic engine for the region.

Toms River has been on the short end of a number of issues with the state of New Jersey in the last few years, from beach replenishment to school funding. How would you break through the political divide to address it?

My administration has made progress in our relationship with Trenton. Flame throwing rhetoric and press releases often riles the voter base but rarely produces the desired result. The Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee invited me to testify before his committee, resulting in the restoration of $9.5 million in school funding. During the hearing, Senator Sarlo acknowledged our request for $2 million in beach replenishment funding which he indicated would be in the next state budget. A personal phone call from me to the State Transportation Commissioner, with whom I serve on a board, resulted in the change in timing of the traffic lights on the previously dangerous intersection of Route 70 and Massachusetts Avenue. Accidents are down 75 percent since and there have been zero fatalities. I have been lobbying for years for the widening of Routes 9 and 70. This project was estimated to cost $600 million 5 years ago. It could be a billion now. I am still pushing; The most important issue facing Toms River in the foreseeable future is reform of the school funding formula known as S2. I am engaged with the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, Senator Vin Gopal, as well as over 150 mayors and superintendents who have been negatively impacted by S2. It is a moral imperative that reform this legislation and I won't rest, so long as I am mayor, it get this done.

Homelessness is affecting every community in Ocean County as the cost of rentals skyrockets and availability decreases. How would you address that to assist Toms River residents?

This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed on the county level. One municipality can not address the issue without county support and involvement. We continue to support the Code Blue program, the several nonprofits that are working supporting the homeless. Our Police Department works closely with the County Sheriff's Office in assisting homeless people during inclement weather.