TOMS RIVER, NJ – Toms River Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill has the unwavering support of the religious bloc vote in Toms River. Members of the influential Toms River Jewish Community Council (TRJCC) helped Hill get elected in 2019 and even signed his petitions for office in 2023.
Now, Hill is trying to distance himself from the voting bloc that got him into office after a poll by his campaign showed him underwater on most issues in Toms River.
Instead, Hill and Toms River Township’s Public Information Officer Art Gallagher penned a letter claiming obsure candidate Gerri Ambrosio received the support of the TRJCC, not him. The TRJCC has not issued a public endorsement of yet.
Both Hill and Ambrosio have been battling for the endorsement of the TRJCC to garner votes in their campaign.
Councilman Justin Lamb today called Hill’s effort nothing more than a ‘cynical race-baiting scheme’.
“Mo Hill’s twisted endorsement shows just how far he’ll go to hold onto power and get his 10-story affordable housing towers erected in downtown Toms River,” Lamb said. “But that’s what closet Democrats like Mo Hill do: they divide, exploit, and manipulate Republicans.”
There is some truth to the endorsement, however. Both Hill and Ambrosio have actively campaigned to get the support of the TRJCC and the Orthodox Jewish community Toms River now appears to be split between both candidates.
“Mo Hill has upset the leadership of the TRJCC,” one political insider within the Orthodox Jewish Community told Shore News Network this week. “They wanted to send a message to Mo Hill, that he’s not a lock with them, while at the same time, they needed to show teeth behind that, so they are now working with Gerri too.”
When asked if any other candidates were working for the endorsement of the TRJCC, the source said, “Well, we know for sure Dan Rodrick is not getting that endorsement for his stances on houses of worship and development and nobody really knows the other candidate, it’s purely a political move to help distance Mo from the community after he saw his low approval ratings. The TRJCC has tried to reach out to Rodrick, but he never returned calls and hasn’t shown a willingness to meet the needs of the [Orthodox Jewish] community still on the table, so he’s out for sure.”
With or without the bloc vote from the religious community, Hill is still underwater on many topics and was recently caught trying to get a state pension he is not entitled to by law.
“We had to show Mo Hill we’re serious,” another member of the community told Shore News Network off the record. “There’s no way we can sell Dan Rodrick to our community because he opposes reducing the requirements on houses of worship, so to save face, we approached Gerri and she’s willing, but most are still with Mo because of how much he has done for our community in the past four years. It seems split down the middle right now, but things can change.”
There’s massive overdevelopment in downtown Toms River, Ciba Geigy, the latest tax assessment and questionable land deals.
“Toms River residents don’t want to turn Toms River into Hackensack and we don’t want our quaint downtown waterfront turned into a little Camden on the Delaware,” Lamb said. “But Mo has dozens of confidential employees on the public payroll and he has to keep the gravy train flowing.”
Lamb also accused Gallagher of writing political messages and working on Hill’s political campaign during public work hours.
“Hill’s overtly political screed — which appeared to be written by one of those taxpayer-funded staffers — Toms River employee Art Gallagher — and published in the middle of the work day, is nothing short of a feeble attempt.”
“Hill wants to talk about anything other than his pension-padding scheme, higher taxes, new fees, and his planned destruction of downtown Toms River. Mo has got to go,” he said.
Lamb ran with Councilman Daniel Rodrick in the 2021 Toms River council race. Both won their districts against their Hill-backed opponents.
Art Gallagher did not respond to comment when asked about his press release.