TOMS RIVER – The two mayoral candidates were asked to explain their points of view on important topics to voters, and in the coming weeks, this newspaper will address each one.
In the first part of this series, Councilman Daniel Rodrick, a Republican, and Ben Giovine, a Democrat, were asked about where they see Toms River in four years. They were told to provide 300-500 words on the topic. Their responses are as follows, gently edited for such things as grammar and punctuation. Direct attacks on the other candidate were deleted.
In future weeks, the candidates will sound off on taxes and development.
Answers are being presented in alphabetical order.
Ben Giovine
“The Toms River I envision in four years is one with a thriving downtown, improved commercial storefronts along Route 37 and improved services townwide to our residents. One thing that was apparent during the pandemic, our residents want more local options for shopping, recreation and nightlife. Over the next four years, we need to invest in improving opportunities for small businesses to thrive in Toms River. The economy continues to shift under our feet and we as a community need to ensure we have a resilient local economy for whatever comes next.
“I have spoken a lot during this campaign about looking outward to what works in area communities and if Toms River can incorporate those ideas. Toms River needs to be more aggressive in pursuing federal and state funding sources. Funding opportunities are being announced almost daily and the township should be going after every last available dollar. In four years time, the township could embark on improvements to our infrastructure and invest in quality of life improvements across the board.
“For residents, it is important that they feel supported by the work being done in town hall and not being obstructed by red tape. If elected, I would create a liaison using pre-existing staff to assist with services at town hall. If, for example, you were looking to open a new business and had questions about permitting, this person could assist in navigating the process. Same would be for other residents who have a concern and are not sure who to contact. It would be helpful if Toms River had a 311-type system to help guide residents to the correct department when confronting a challenge.
“It would also be a priority to ensure we have a civically engaged community. As the father of two young children, I know how difficult it is to attend every council or zoning board meeting. Between sports, PTA meetings, grocery shopping and family obligations – we all have a lot going on. Distrust in your local government often begins when you feel blindsided by local changes that were not put out into the community. I felt this way myself when new requirements were mandated upon residential home sales. The lack of communication to residents built justifiable distrust and ire towards town hall. As mayor I would do everything I could to bring town hall into the community through localized meetings with the mayor and remote services.
“These are just a shortlist of priorities that within four years will bring Toms River forward into a new era focused on our community values and putting our residents first.”
Daniel Rodrick
“The current approach for downtown is all wrong. The administration believed that bringing in apartments will bring in foot traffic and they believe that will improve commerce. The problem is, these apartments are virtually tax free and taxpayers will have to flip the bill. The truth is, there are plenty of people who live in the downtown area already and they’re not walking around.
“If we want a thriving downtown, Downtown Toms River needs to be a destination. I envision the current location of the boat works as a large pier, even larger than the one in Belmar. We should create a township concession liquor license and restaurant like Island Beach State Park’s very successful Red Fox Bar and Grill. We can easily add free liquor licenses on township property.
“I’d also like to see municipal boat slips and waverunner slips at the pier and in Huddy. We can lease these out annually and leave some open for free hourly parking when folks visit downtown. We also envision a sprinkler park at Huddy as well. I believe another waterfront bar, a sprinkler park, and boat/waverunner slips downtown will get the ball rolling in summer. We could also advertise Toms River downtown as a destination with the State Park Service with signs at Tices Shoal.
“In addition, I think we need to do more firework shows. The boardwalks were very successful at boosting weekday foot traffic and fireworks are very reasonable.
“In winter, I propose we move our outdoor ice skating facilities downtown as well. Right now, the outdoor rink is right next to the indoor rink and there’s nothing around it. Bringing ice skating downtown in winter will supercharge the downtown economy in off season as well. All of these ideas are not only good for the local economy, but they will provide recreational opportunities to residents as well. Again, I will fight any attempt to build more apartments and it is my intention to repeal the current redevelopment plan.
“Additionally, the township has acquired nearly 100 acres of open space and I would like to start adding that land to our list of parks. Residents should be able to use that land. The township has many summer camp programs in the school yards, but I think we should be using Camp Albocondo and other open space purchases as well. I’d like to do another skate park and another park in the style of Castle Park.”
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