Richard Strada

Toms River has been around since the 18th century, but this year's mayoral race will only be the second ever in this Ocean County town of 89,706.

That’s because the town, which until last year was officially named Dover Township, changed its form of government in 2003 from a Township Committee that appointed the mayor to the more common mayor/council setup. Since then, odd alliances and rivalries have taken shape, giving way to a Democratic mayor, Paul Brush, and a council controlled completely by Republicans.

Now that Brush is not seeking a second term, Democrat Richard Strada, a former committeeman who served a brief stint as Mayor under the old system in 1978, is facing off against Republican town council President Gregory McGuckin. Councilman Carmine Inteso, another Republican, is trying to enter the race as an independent along with a slate of three council candidates, but his petition has been challenged in court.

The race for Mayor of Toms River got interesting yesterday -- just hours before the primary closed.  Former Republican Mayor Carmine Inteso  filed an independent slate in Dover that cost the GOP some votes.  The Ocean County GOP organization candidate for Mayor, Council President Gregory McGuckin, won the primary with 55% and now faces Richard Strada, who served as Mayor in the 1970's and ran for Congress against Christopher Smith in 1992.  The incumbent, Democrat Paul Brush, was elected as an Independent in 2003 -- the first Mayor directly elected by the voters -- and is not seeking a second term.