Crime & Safety

Incumbents Challenged in Both Fire Districts

Five-way race for two District 2 seats, plus challengers for terms in both districts

Voters in both Toms River Fire District 1 or 2 on Saturday will decide contested races for their respective fire commissioners.

In District 1, there is one seat for a three-year term. Incumbent Doug Foley faces challenger Raymond Latshaw. District 1 is comprised of residents served by East Dover, Ocean Beach, Toms River Fire Co. No. 1 and No. 2 fire houses.

In District 2, there are three seats: two seats are a three-year term, and the third is the unexpired term created by the death of Gary Licknack. District 2 is comprised of residents served by Pleasant Plains and Silverton fire houses.

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The District 2 unexpired term candidates are incumbent Thomas McCann and challenger Richard Heroy.

In the three-year term, five candidates are vying for two seats in District 2. Incumbents Ken Taylor and Roger “Joe” Brown face challengers Jason Wallace, Don Lombardi Jr. and Alexander Wyatt Earp.

Find out what's happening in Toms Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

District 2 Candidates

• Two former chiefs — Thomas McCann and Richard Heroy are vying for the unexpired term in District 2.

Heroy has more than 30 years of service as a firefighter in Toms River and is a former chief. He serves as an instructor at the Toms River Fire Academy.

McCann, who was appointed to fill the position after the death of Licknack, has more than 40 years of service as a firefighter in Toms River and 10 years in Iselin prior to that. He also serves as an instructor at the Toms River Fire Academy.

• In the five-way race for two seats, two incumbents face three challengers. Incumbents Ken Taylor and Roger “Joe” Brown face challengers Jason Wallace, Don Lombardi Jr. and Alexander Wyatt Earp.

Taylor has more than 35 years of service as a firefighter and has previously served as a district commissioner and chief, as the assistant clerk and purchasing agent for District 2. He is a 60 year resident of Silverton.

Brown is past chief of Silverton and has more than 25 years of service. He is also a fire instructor and a member of the Toms River Technical Rescue Team and NJ State Urban Search and Rescue Team.

Wallace has served as a firefighter in Lakewood, where he lived previous. He has 15 years of service as a firefighter and is on the NJ State Fireman's Relief Board for Lakewood. He works at a brokerage firm and founded Wall Street Cares, a charity that has raised more than $1 million for caregivers, after 9-11.

Lombardi has served as Director of Buildings & Grounds for Hackensack Public Schools; a Procurement Manager for the New York City and Vice President of Facilities and Purchasing at First City Bank in Arlington, TX. Lombardi also served as a Career Intelligence Officer, 1962-82, and earned the Bronze Star Medal. He said his father is a 20 year career firefighter with the NYC Fire Dept.

Earp, according to his father Wyatt Earp, is a trained electrician. He's certified in search and rescue training. Earp has served for six years in the Air Force and is a leiutenant.

District 1 Candidates

In District 1, there is one seat for a three-year term. Incumbent Doug Foley faces challenger Raymond Latshaw.

Foley is the current treasurer District 1 and is also a former chief of East Dover Fire Company. He has served as the president of the fire officers association and has served as a firefighter for multiple decades, serving as a junior firefighter previous.

Latshaw is a longtime Toms River resident, and was also a member of the Toms River Elks. He is the president of American Maintenance Service and Repair, in Toms River.


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