Uncontested Council Primaries Bring No Surprises in Toms River

With both the Democratic and Republican candidates running unopposed for their party's nomination to seek Toms River Township Council seats in November, the results of Tuesday's primary vote saw no surprises. 

All of the Republican and Democratic candidates secured their bids to run for council seats in the Nov. 5 general election. 

The seats of incumbent council members in Toms River's Wards 1 through 4 — all controlled by Republicans — are available come November. Democratic challengers in each ward, including a former Toms River mayor, are running for the 4-year terms. 

Democrat Paul C. Brush, who was mayor from 2004-2008, will challenge incumbent Ward 2 Republican Councilman Brian S. Kubiel, according to the Ocean County Clerk's primary vote tallies. 

Currently, all seven members of the Township Council, as well as Mayor Thomas Kelaher, are registered Republicans. 

The candidates running for Toms River Township Council seats this November are:

Democratic Candidates:

Ward 1: Linda A. Stevens of Peterson Lane, 178 votes

Ward 2: Paul C. Brush of Agincourt Road, 289 votes

Ward 3: Gary Clifton of Ashford Road, 183 votes

Ward 4: Eli Eytan of Tennyson Avenue, 182 votes

Republican Candidates (All Incumbent)

Ward 1: Maria L. Maruca of Waters Edge Drive, 669 votes 

Ward 2: Brian S. Kubiel of Kaitlyn Court, 967 votes

Ward 3: Jeffrey J. Carr of Constitution Avenue, 673 votes

Ward 4: Alfonso Manforti of Lakehurst Road, 587 votes

Toms River's longtime Chief of Police Michael Mastronardy resoundingly won the Republican nomination to run for Ocean County Sheriff, defeating Frank J. Garnick with 89 percent of the vote, 21,469 to 2,979. 

The post has been vacant since longtime sheriff, 84-year-old William Polhemus, died last December shortly following his re-election. 

Mastronardy, who was nominated by Ocean County Republicans to run in March, has served as Toms River's Chief of Police since 1992.

Democrat Bob Armstrong was unopposed in the primary and won his party's bid to run for Ocean County Sheriff, earning 6,682 votes. Armstrong, who has a law enforcement careering spanning more than 40 years, ran unsuccessfully against Polhemus last November. 

Toms River is divided into four wards, each of which is represented by a member of the Township Council. The council has three other members who are elected "at-large" and do not represent a specific section. None of those seats are available in the 2013 election. 

Ward 1 has a population of 23,280 and is characterized by the ocean and bay. Ward 2, population 22,821, is the center land mass of the township, with Hooper Avenue running through it. Areas west and east of Route 9, north of Route 37 to the Lakewood border, make up Ward 3, population 21,872. Ward 4, population 23,266, stretches from the area surrounding Route 37 from Vaughn Avenue and west to Manchester.