Toms River Council Set For New Faces After GOP Primaries: Unofficial Results

Updated 10:15 p.m. Tuesday, June 10

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The November general election candidates for the four Toms River Township Council seats will feature new faces, according to unofficial results of Tuesday's primary election.

Three of the four incumbent council members — council president Justin Lamb, William Byrne and James Quinlisk were trailing in the Republican primaries in their ward races. Councilman David Ciccozzi was leading his Republican challengers in the Ward 4 race, according to those tallies.

The results of the races do not become official until they are certified by the Ocean County Clerk later this month.

The outcome of the primaries sets up change in the direction of Toms River's future, as Lamb and Byrne were among Mayor Daniel Rodrick's council supporters. Rodrick, at the May 29 council meeting, had predicted his candidates, including Anthony Matarazzo in Ward 4 and Harry Aber in Ward 3, would win by a large margin in the primaries.

Only Aber was winning his Republican primary, according to the unofficial tallies.

As of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, the unofficial tallies were as follows:

In Ward 1, Robert Bianchini had 1,597 votes to 1,323 for Lamb.

In Ward 2, Clinton Bradley had 1,555 votes to 1,469 for Byrne.

In Ward 3, Aber had 1,559 votes to 929 for Quinlisk.

In Ward 4, Ciccozzi had 883 votes, Anthony Ricotta had 753 and Anthony Matarazzo had 734.

In the Ward 4 Democratic primary, Justin Moran had 725 votes, to 415 for Paul C Williams.

The primary battle between the slate of Lamb, Byrne, Aber and Matarazzo and the slate of Quinlisk, Ciccozzi, Bianchini and Bradley was heated from the moment the candidates' petitions were filed in March.

Quinlisk and Ciccozzi spoke out against Rodrick's most controversial actions time and time since February 2024, leading to screaming matches during council meetings. Rodrick has repeatedly blasted them, going so far as accusing both men of being "liberal Democrats" at the May 29 meeting.

Quinlisk and Ciccozzi have been joined in their opposition to Rodrick's policies by Tom Nivison, who was elected to an at-large seat as one of Rodrick's running mates in 2023. A series of actions including the shutdown of the Toms River Animal Shelter resulted in Nivison no longer supporting Rodrick.

While Rodrick has touted the 2025 township budget because it does not raise the municipal tax rate and because it shows an $11 million reduction in expenditures, Quinlisk, Ciccozzi and Nivison have criticized Rodrick's spending decisions on some items and cuts to others they viewed as important, such as the police department.

Recent claims by Rodrick of more police on the roads and a reduction in police overtime led to pushback from the Toms River PBA. An examination of records shows the department has the fewest sworn officers it has had since 2004.

The most recent proposal by Rodrick to buy the property belonging to Christ Episcopal Church, either by agreement or by eminent domain, has infuriated residents across the township, with faith leaders from all over Toms Rivers speaking out in support of the church.

Leaders of Christ Episcopal Church said they believe Rodrick has taken the action because of a proposal to place a 17-bed shelter for the homeless in a building on the church's property. While that proposal is opposed by many residents in the area, the idea of taking the church property for a park has not been well-received.

That ordinance is set for a second reading at the July township council reading.

While Bianchini, Bradley and Ciccozzi still face challenges from the Democrats in November — in Ward 1, Anthony Colucci will be opposing Bianchini, and Ward 2 will have Susan Gato against Bradley — Toms River leans heavily Republican, meaning Ciccozzi and Nivison will have the support of Bianchini and Bradley in 2026 to block moves by Rodrick that they oppose.

The biggest challenge in the primary election is voter participation, as voters are frequently apathetic in years where there is no presidential election. That trend continued Tuesday, with fewer than 50 percent combined of the registered Republicans voting in the primaries, based on the unofficial tallies. There were 27,241 registered Republicans in Toms River in 2023, and Republican voter registration has risen across New Jersey in 2025.