Rodrick Wins, Lamb Ousts Maruca In Toms River Council GOP Primary

This article was updated at 10:40 p.m.

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Unofficial results from the Toms River Council Republican primaries show Maria Maruca has been ousted after 18 years of serving on the council.

Councilman Daniel Rodrick, who has been at odds with the rest of the council since he won election as a Democrat in 2017, will be on the ballot in November fighting for a second term.

Unofficial vote tallies show the split within the Republican Party in Toms River, because while Rodrick and his running mate, Justin Lamb, won their primaries, Maruca running mates James Quinlisk and David Ciccozzi won in Wards 3 and 4.

The GOP primary for the four slots on the November ballot was heated, with accusations and personal attacks for weeks that encompassed not only the township council but spilled over to the Toms River Regional school board as well.

Maruca, Jason Crispin, Quinlisk and Ciccozzi are under the banner of the Regular Republican Club of Ocean County.

Rodrick, Lamb, Grace Piscopo, and John J. Loiacono are under the "Make New Jersey Great Again" banner.

Here are the ward-by-ward results, which are unofficial until the Ocean County Board of Elections and Ocean County Clerk's Office certify them.

In Ward 1, with 15 of 15 districts reporting, Lamb had 1,207 votes and Maruca had 1,023.

In Ward 2, with 18 of 18 districts reporting, Rodrick had 1,488 votes and Crispin had 1,075.

In Ward 3, with 14 of 14 districts reporting, Quinlisk had 1,258 and Piscopo had 649. The Ward 3 seat currently is held by Democrat Laurie Huryk, who is not seeking re-election.

In Ward 4, with 16 of 16 districts reporting, Ciccozzi had 890 and Loiacono had 744.

The Ward 3 seat currently is held by Democrat Laurie Huryk, who is not seeking re-election.

Terrance Turnbach, who is seeking his second term representing Ward 4, is joined by fellow Democrats Michele Williams in Ward 1, who had 498 votes in the primary; Jeff J. Horn in Ward 2, who had 617 votes, and Karin Sage in Ward 3. Sage had 475 votes in the primary for the seat held by Democrat Laurie Huryk, who is not seeking re-election.

Much of the primary race focused on claims surrounding the consent decree and settlement Toms River made with the U.S. Justice Department over the Justice Department's charges that the township's zoning laws violated the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

Read more about the Toms River Council Republican primary here: Toms River GOP Primary: Claims, Counterclaims And Consent Decree

Voting machines at the Toms River Senior Center were running on a backup battery after the storm Tuesday night knocked out power to more than 2,300 homes, Toms River officials said. The Ocean County Sheriff's Office supplied temporary power via generator to keep the lights on so there was no lapse in voting during the storm, officials said.

Power was restored by Jersey Central Power & Light by 8:15 p.m.

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