TOMS RIVER, NJ – A group of far-left protesters gathered outside Toms River Town Hall on Tuesday, clashing with Republican leaders over proposed government spending cuts.
The group included mostly elderly women and men, with far-left radicals wearing ‘Antifa baseball’ shirts and colored hair peppered in between the sea of salt and pepper. While the shirts read ‘Antifa Baseball’, it was more like the Grantifa pickleball team outside town hall.
Around 20 demonstrators, voicing opposition to President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, and Toms River Mayor Dan Rodrick, chanted slogans and demanded a halt to planned budget reductions. The protest underscored growing tensions between local Republicans and progressive activists seeking to maintain government spending levels.
Mayor Rodrick, who has been a target of Democratic opposition since taking office, also faces increasing pressure from allies of former Mayor Maurice Hill and progressive activists.
Among the protesters in front of town hall during recent protests was Councilman David Ciccozzi, leading a slate of candidates challenging the Toms River Republican Club in upcoming elections.
“These folks want us to spend more money and raise taxes for our hard-working residents, who are the highest taxed group of people in America already here in New Jersey,” Rodrick said. “They want high-density affordable housing all over our town, and they want us to continue business as usual in government.”
Rodrick said that his 2025 budget will once again be a 0% tax increase, the second flat budget for the township in his second year as mayor.
“If we listen to these people outside, our taxes would go up, and our quality of life would go down,” Rodrick said. “Cutting government waste is why we were elected. Stopping overdevelopment is why we were elected, and we’re committed to fighting both, no matter how many people show up in front of town hall every week.”
The political divide in Toms River deepened last year when Republicans aligned with Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker’s staffer, Zach Dougherty, in the general election. Republican William Byrne, a lifelong blue-collar union worker, decisively defeated that coalition.
As budget discussions continue, Rodrick and his Republican allies remain committed to fiscal restraint while Democrats and progressive activists push back against proposed cuts.
Key Points
- Protesters gathered outside Toms River Town Hall opposing budget cuts and Republican leadership.
- Councilman David Ciccozzi joined demonstrators as he campaigns against the Toms River Republican Club.
- Tensions in Toms River politics have escalated since last year’s GOP landslide victory over a Democrat-backed coalition.