Toms River Mayoral Election 2023: Ben Giovine

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Election Day 2023 is less than three weeks away, and Toms River voters will be going to the polls to cast their ballots for candidates at the local, county and state levels.

In Toms River, there are two candidates seeking the four-year term as mayor.

Patch sent a questionnaire to both candidates seeking their responses. Here are the replies from Ben Giovine.

Your Name: Ben Giovine

Age (as of Election Day): 40

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Campaign Website: https://www.giovineforTR.com

Family: Lauren, Luca (5) and Olivia (3)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? This includes any relatives who work in the government you're running for. No

Education: Bachelor's degree from American University

Occupation: I am the District Director to Congressman Andy Kim. I’ve held this position since 2019 during the period when the Congressman represented Toms River. As the top staffer in New Jersey, I am the liaison for mayors, state officials and the Joint Base, among other entities. In this role, I directly assist towns in identifying federal funding and programs that benefit their communities. At its core, this position is vital in ensuring the layers of government are speaking and coordinating with each other. My role is inherently nonpartisan and I am proud to have worked with countless Democrat and Republican mayors, commissioners and state legislators to resolve issues impacting our constituents. I am humbled to have played a role in delivering a new $61 million Veterans Administration medical clinic to Toms River and working with town officials on the forgiveness of over $3 million in FEMA disaster recovery loans.

Previous or current elected or appointed office:

I served two terms on the Toms River Board of Education and, in that capacity, served twice as board president. During my tenure on the board, I am proud to have rooted out corruption from the previous superintendent and brought in new leadership to the district. Toms River boasts one of the lowest costs per pupil and administrative costs. Despite our lean budget we expanded from a half-day to a full-day kindergarten program, launched career academies at the high school level and made once-in-a-generation investments in our buildings and technology. In addition, we successfully negotiated with our teachers to ensure they were compensated for the important role they play in our communities. Often seen as a thankless position, I am proud to see my own son benefit from the improvements to the school district as he begins his first year of kindergarten.

Why are you seeking elective office?

Toms River is my hometown, and it was a great place to grow up. Now I’m raising my children here, and I want them to experience the same Toms River that I did. From Little League to the Halloween Parade, our town has so much to be proud of. It is all a part of our big-small town feel. However, we lost sight of the sense of community when it comes to our elected officials. Town Hall needs to be more accessible, constituent-facing and proactive in how we communicate to residents. I am running to bring a level of decency to how we do things in Toms River. The worn adage of “all politics is local” is very true — but not everything local should be political. We need to work together to improve our businesses, fund our police and set the right course for Toms River not just for the next four years but the next 30.

Drawing more activity to the downtown area has been a topic for years. The proposed downtown development on the former Red Carpet Inn property was unpopular. What would you propose to bring more activity to the downtown area?

I am a resident of downtown Toms River and it has been thrilling to see the successes of new business and activity in the area. Anchors like Capone’s Pizza held on while we saw an explosion of new entrepreneurs bringing bakeries, breweries and so much more to an area. The Downtown Business Improvement District is on the cusp of attaining a Main Street designation which will open the area up to beautification grants and other programs. We should invest in improving vacant storefronts and identify ways we can encourage more local businesses to organically sustain themselves.

Downtown traffic has been a source of complaints for years. There was a proposal for a downtown loop and Toms River was awarded a $5.6 million grant for the project, which the New Jersey Highway Authority has proposed tying into for a Garden State Parkway project. What would you propose to address downtown traffic issues?

The traffic pattern in downtown Toms River definitely needs improvement. I cannot say I am a traffic study expert but an overhaul on how to handle the increase of drivers using Route 9 to travel into town and improve the area’s flood resiliency. We have the beautiful Huddy Park but it is a true nightmare for pedestrians to access. I would need to look closer at the Downtown Loop to fully say that this would be the right choice but if it unsnarls traffic, is flood resilient and improves the area for pedestrians then it should be looked at more closely.

The state Department of Education has contended that Toms River is not paying its fair share of property taxes to support its schools and that has been a critical piece of the school funding cuts the Toms River Regional School District has faced. How would you address this issue?

As a former member of the Toms River Board of Education, I am very familiar with this issue. The fact is, our school funding has seen drastic cuts going back to 2011–under Governor Christie. S2, signed by Governor Murphy, certainly did put the nail in the coffin. I am not afraid to call out Trenton for the wrong that was done through this legislation. Moving forward our town does need to directly engage with Trenton in more constructive ways so we can get the results we want to see. Again, we are the 8th largest community in the state. We are an important statewide stakeholder and it is about time we begin to act as one.