TOMS RIVER, NJ – The Toms River Democrats are once again seeking candidates to run for mayor and council in Toms River to stop Republican Dan Rodrick from becoming mayor in November.
Rodrick, who won overwhelmingly in a June Republican primary, is expected to defeat his eventual Democrat opponent in November easily.
After the Democrat party’s original candidate for mayor dropped out of the race, the party attempted to recruit a Lakewood bank executive, but today, John Crisafulli said he would not be running for office. Democrats touted Crisafulli’s strong ties to the Orthodox community as a strategy to defeat Rodrick.
In a discussion with leaders from the Toms River Orthodox community, Democrats offered to run a community member for a council seat in exchange for the community’s support and bloc vote. That deal appears to have since fallen apart as the ultra-religious community’s values are contrary to those of the modern progressive Democrat party.
Earlier this month, Democrats announced their council candidate, Kajal Lal, dropped out of the race to take a public job.
Democrats are now scrambling with just a few days left before a looming deadline to replace Lal and find a new mayor candidate to challenge the popular councilman in November.
Insiders within the Democrat Party are hoping Rodrick’s anti-development message in June, which caused the Jewish bloc vote to oppose him, will resonate with the Jewish community in hopes to get a Democrat elected in November.
Democrats have not held seats on the Toms River Council in over two years after former Democrats Terrence Turnbach and Laurie Huryk’s pro-downtown development agenda was soundly defeated in the 2021 election.
Democrats on the council were openly supportive of the downtown ten-story twin tower project and publicly backed Republican Mayor Maurice Hill’s agenda on many occasions while in office.
Former Democrat Councilwoman Laurie Huryk, who is orchestrating the Toms River Democrats’ flailing 2023 campaign, once called for reform in Toms River, saying the township was “too white” and that the demographics of the township needed a readjustment.