TOMS RIVER, NJ – The election between Toms River Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill, Councilman Daniel Rodrick and political insider Geri Ambrosio might come down to who has the most money to get their messages across to voters in the June primary election.
Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill has so far raised $82,000 and has just $26,000 left. Councilman Daniel Rodrick is running a self-funded campaign and political gadfly Geri Ambrosio is essentially broke, reporting no contributions.
Hill’s campaign is being funded by lawyers, engineers, and confidential township employees who will most likely lose their public jobs should Hill lose the election.
Hill received large donations from builders, engineers, developers, and construction equipment companies, according to a Form R-1 filed by his campaign this week.
According to his report, Hill received donations of over $1,000 from the law firm of Kelaher, Van Dyke, and Moriarity. Sean Moriarity, a relative of one of the principals of the firm, is representing the NJDEP settlement with Ciba Geigy.
Hill also received $1,000 from a Seaside Heights realtor and developer building a large apartment building on the boulevard in that town.
He also received large donations from local engineers, law firms and builders in the Toms River area.
As mayor, Hill has been under fire, being blamed for the rapid urbanization of Toms River during his term and most recently for waging a three year public battle with the state, using township lawyers in a failed attempt to claim retirement benefits he was not legally entitled to.
Hill has spent $18,000 for printing and mailing campaign literature and $21,500 to a polling company based out of a private condominium complex in Hazlet owned by an unknown LLC, tracked back to political pollster Adam Geller.
Geller declined to comment today regarding the results of those polls.
Hill also spent $4,000 on campaign photos with Endless Wave Creative on Route 166 in Toms River.
Ambrosio meanwhile claims she spent just $682 on her campaign. She filed form A-1, indicating she is not expecting to spend more than $5,800 per candidate in the election.
Political insiders reported rumors that Ambrosio’s campaign is being funded through GOP Chairman George Gilmore. Gilmore’s affiliated OC Conservative Republican Org PAC donated money to the Committee to Elect Minkler and Roman in January. Minkler and Roman in turn funneled the money to Ambrosio’s campaign, according to a campaign finance report filed by Ambrosio last week with the state.
Gilmore, the Ocean County GOP chairman did not respond today when asked if he was supporting Ambrosio’s campaign, though it is widely rumored that he is, instead of his organization’s endorsed candidate, Hill.
Rodrick who is self funding his campaign filed form A-1 as well, but said he will be required to file form R-1 before the next deadline due to new expenditures and bills for printing and mailing costs that will exceed the thresholds allowed with form A-1.
Rodrick confirmed he is self funding and won’t be relying on pay-to-pay megadonors and shadow PACS like Hill and Ambrosio.