Democrats Replace Candidate For Ward 2 Council Seat In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ ? The race for the unexpired term representing Ward 2 on the Toms River Township Council has a new candidate.

Zach Dougherty, a 2019 graduate of Toms River High School North and lifelong Toms River resident, has replaced Susan Gato Payne as the Democratic candidate for the seat, officials confirmed.

Dougherty, 23, will face off against William Byrne, the candidate picked to fill Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick's unexpired term.

Byrne, 82, who is running as a Republican, had been a registered Democrat until just days before the candidate's petition, which was circulated by Rodrick, was filed listing him as a Republican.

In a news release, Dougherty said he is running "to bring fresh, community-oriented leadership to Toms River" and "restoring trust in local government through fresh leadership committed to integrity, accountability, and transparency.

Dougherty also said he is running to stop what he called "the Rodrick administration?s wildly unpopular policies."

Rodrick was elected mayor in November 2023 along with three running mates for council ? Lynn O'Toole, Craig Coleman and Tom Nivison ? and since his swearing-in on Jan. 1 has made a series of changes that have provoked outrage in the community and led to two successful petitions to recall ordinances that the council has approved.

One ordinance initially removed two captains' positions from the police department roster, but those were restored to the ordinance after the recall petition was certified by then-Municipal Clerk Michael Cruoglio. Rodrick, however, refused to allow promotions to fill the two captains' positions after those officers retired.

The third captain's position, held by Deputy Chief Patrick Dellane, is vacant after Dellane retired recently, leaving Police Chief Mitchell Little directly supervising his lieutenants.

The second was an ordinance to lease the township's animal shelter to the Ocean County Board of Health to operate as a shelter. A petition to recall that ordinance was certified by Cruoglio in late June, but Rodrick on Aug. 7 had the council approve a resolution for a shared services agreement with the county.

In addition, Rodrick ordered the township to stop dispatching Silverton EMS to medical emergencies, alleging "potentially criminal" financial irregularities by the squad, whose business administrator is former councilman Kevin Geoghegan, a political opponent of Rodrick. Geoghegan delivered a tort notice to township officials at the Aug. 7 council meeting that a lawsuit will be filed over the shutdown and Rodrick's accusations.

Along the way, Rodrick has fired multiple township employees and several others, including several in key positions, have resigned.

Rodrick initially had solid support from the council members, with Justin Lamb and George Lobman, who was appointed to fill out this year of Rodrick's vacated council seat, joining Nivision, O'Toole and Coleman voting to support the mayor's moves.

The animal shelter issue splintered that, as Nivison has had public blow-ups with Rodrick at council meetings, with Nivison publicly saying Rodrick "lied to my face." Nivison has begun to align himself with council members James Quinlisk and David Ciccozzi.

Lobman is not seeking election to the final year of the unexpired term, which could result in a shift on the council.

"This pivotal election will determine whether Rodrick retains control over the c ouncil or becomes a lame-duck executive for the remainder of his term. The stakes are high," Dougherty's news release said.

The press release initially was published on Insider NJ, a popular website for campaign press releases where political campaigns often are announced, but later removed for reasons that were not clear. An email to Insider NJ officials asking about the removal was not answered.

Dougherty, who is an Eagle Scout and scouting mentor, is a former community organizer with the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, where he advocated for government transparency and served as a civics educator across the state.

In 2018, in the wake of the Parkland school shooting, Dougherty helped found New Jersey's March for Our Lives Movement and had a national role in advocating for landmark legislation to protect schools from gun violence. Dougherty also spearheaded the creation of the New Jersey Legislative Youth Council, a "platform for the state?s youth to advise the Legislature on critical issues affecting them," the news release said.

"His exceptional ability to energize and mobilize youth has profoundly impacted the community," the news release said. "His genuine decency and empathy have earned him broad bipartisan support from both Republicans and Democrats throughout Ocean County, underscoring his talent for inspiring the next generation of changemakers."

Dougherty is a graduate of Monmouth University, where he received a bachelor's degree in history and political science and is working on a master's degree in legislative affairs at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management.

He also has spent time working in both the U.S. Congress and the New Jersey Legislature.