3 Candidates Seek Toms River Seat On School Board

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Three seats are up for election on the Toms River Regional Board of Education in November, but only one of those seats is contested.

The seats representing Toms River, Pine Beach and Beachwood are for three-year terms.

Three candidates have filed for the Toms River Township seat up this fall, according to the Ocean County Clerk's Office.

Kathleen Eagan, who was first elected to the board in 2019, is seeking her third term. She is challenged by Josef Pentz, who is running on the Invest In Kids slogan, and George Lobman, who is running on the slogan Stop Tax Hikes.

Eagan is the former president of the Toms River Education Association, the district's teachers union and a former teacher in the district. Her daughter, nephews and a niece are teachers in the Toms River schools, according to a recent Doctrine of Necessity adopted by the board to allow the board to proceed on a vote involving the TREA.

Lobman served briefly on the Toms River Township Council in 2024 after being appointed to Mayor Daniel Rodrick's council seat when Rodrick became mayor.

In Pine Beach, Kevin Kidney is seeking his third term. He was first elected to the board in 2019.

In Beachwood, Katie Coyne is seeking her first full term. She was appointed to the seat after Melissa Morrison stepped down in late July 2024.