TOMS RIVER, NJ – The Toms River Democrats are currently in the process of selecting candidates for both mayor and council seats in Toms River for the upcoming November elections. This follows after their original mayoral candidate decided not to participate further in the race.
The party is now working on securing a third candidate for mayor after the first two dropped out of the race. Sources report that council candidate Rhetta Jackson-Fair will now run for mayor instead.
Republican candidate Dan Rodrick emerged victor in the recent June Republican primary. Observers anticipate that he will challenge whoever the Democrats put forward in the November election.
Subsequently, John Crisafulli, a Lakewood bank executive, was approached by the Democratic party as a potential candidate, but he has since declined the opportunity to run. Some party members believed that Crisafulli’s connection to the Orthodox community might be instrumental in garnering more votes.
The Democrats also explored the possibility of collaborating with representatives from the Toms River Orthodox community by proposing a council seat candidacy to someone from their community. However, negotiations appear to have stalled.
Earlier in the month, the Democrats shared that their council candidate, Kajal Lal, has opted out of the race due to a new job opportunity in the public sector. This has increased the urgency for the Democrats to nominate replacements ahead of the upcoming deadline.
Internal sources within the Democratic party have discussed the possibility of leveraging Dan Rodrick’s anti-development stance from the June primary to gain traction with the Jewish community for the November elections.
It is worth noting that the Democrats have been without representation on the Toms River Council for over two years. Former Democrats Terrence Turnbach and Laurie Huryk’s developmental agenda did not secure majority support in the 2021 election. While in office, these Democrats had shown support for specific projects like the downtown ten-story twin tower and frequently aligned with Republican Mayor Maurice Hill on various matters.
Former Democratic Councilwoman Laurie Huryk, who is currently involved in the 2023 campaign strategy for the Toms River Democrats, has in the past voiced her thoughts on diversity, suggesting Toms River could benefit from demographic adjustments.