A generationally divided contest for a seat on the Toms River Township Council has ended in a win for the older generation, with 82-year-old Republican William Byrne defeating 23-year-old Democrat Zach Dougherty 64% to 36%.
The Ward 2 seat was previously held by Daniel Rodrick, whose election as mayor in 2023 triggered a special election to succeed him; appointed Councilman George Lobman did not seek re-election to a full term.
In the Republican primary, Byrne beat former Councilman Kevin Geoghegan, who lost renomination to an at-large seat in 2023, by a 60% to 40% margin. Geoghegan and Rodrick, who strongly supported Byrne, come from opposite wings of a deeply divided local Republican Party. Dougherty, meanwhile, was a late replacement for original Democratic nominee Susan Payne Gato, who withdrew from the race in August.
In neighboring Jackson Township’s nonpartisan municipal election, three candidates endorsed by the local Republican organization and by three GOP gubernatorial contenders are ahead, though one councilman’s lead is very narrow.
Committeeman Nino Borrelli and Giuseppe Palmeri, running on the “Proven Leadership” slate, have won convincingly; their third running mate, Committeeman Mordechai Burnstein, leads challenger Amanda Trombetta by 114 votes, 14.33% to 14.15%.