TOMS RIVER — Three township council members said goodbye to government service Tuesday night at an emotional meeting in town hall.

The last day in office for Councilwomen Laurie Huryk and Maria Maruca, and Councilman Terrance Turnbach is Friday, but Tuesday marked their last council meeting. All three received high praise from Mayor Maurice B. "Mo" Hill Jr., their council colleagues, and several members of the public who spoke.

Huryk and Turnbach are the only two Democrats on the seven-member council; Maruca, a Republican, has represented the waterfront areas of Ward 1 since January 2004. All seven council members will be Republicans after the township organizes for the year Monday, and there will be no women on the governing body for the first time in 18 years.

"I think this council is going to miss a female perspective," Maruca said.

Huryk and Turnbach were elected in 2017, along with their Democratic running mate, Daniel Rodrick, when Democrats won a stunning three seats on the council in a town that's long been dominated by the GOP. Rodrick switched to the GOP a few months after taking office, and was frequently at odds with his former running mates, as well as GOP council members. 

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"Maria, we served together on this council for 16 years," an emotional Hill said during the mayor's comments portion of the meeting . "I cannot begin to thank you for all that you have done. I think everybody realizes you're the hardest-working council member."

Earlier in the meeting, the mayor presented the three council members with identical gifts: a framed painting of town hall by Toms River artist Virginia Perle. Watch them unwrap their gifts in the video above. 

"They leave big shoes to fill," the mayor said.

Turnbach received a second gift from Hill: a red Red Carpet Inn sign. The troubled downtown motel, formerly located at the corner of Main and Water streets, was demolished in 2019. Acquiring and demolishing the motel had been one of the centerpieces of Turnbach's election campaign.

Maruca recalled achievements during her time on the council, like acquiring nearly 400 acres of open space, championing the long-delayed beach replenishment project for the northern barrier island, partnering with Toms River Regional schools to install artificial turf fields at the district's high schools, and working to start free food distribution at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Maruca, who was representing the waterfront areas when superstorm Sandy devastated the township in 2012, recalled the difficulties Toms River faced in the wake of the storm.

"At times we didn’t know where to start after Sandy, we didn’t know where to go first," Maruca said, recalling tears being shed at a meeting with the late Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher and department heads — including three who had lost their homes — shortly after the storm.

She also recalled receiving flak from frustrated residents when she attended meetings of the Ortley Beach Voters and Taxpayers Association. Ortley Beach, where more than 200 homes were washed away the night Sandy struck, had so much damage it was labeled the storm's "ground zero." 

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On Tuesday, the taxpayers association president, Anthony Colucci, and vice president, Paul Jeffrey, praised Maruca's efforts in the barrier island community.

"Ward 1 is a little different from the rest of the town," Colucci said. "We have problems the rest of the township doesn’t know about. Maria has to interpret our complaints to you guys…. We are going to miss her."

Maruca was defeated in the June GOP primary by Justin Lamb, who will be sworn in as the Ward 1 representative when the council organizes. She is expected to be present Thursday when the township is expected to officially take possession of the former Joey Harrison's Surf Club in Ortley Beach, a project she long supported.

Huryk, who represents Ward 3, which includes much of North Dover, chose not to seek re-election; Republican James Quinlisk will be sworn in as Ward 3 councilman next week. Turnbach, who represents downtown Ward 4, lost his re-election bid to Republican David Ciccozzi, the long-time chair of the township's planning board.

"Even though I was elected by a ward, I am here serving the entire town," Huryk said. "....That was my one objective when I decided to run for office, was to prove that Democrats and Republicans can work together. That we can disagree on things, that we can come to the table, discuss our differences, and come to a compromise." 

The two Democrats and the GOP council majority have been in agreement on most major issues to come before the town since Huryk and Turnbach were elected. 

Huryk, known for her support of diversity and the arts, said she is proud that worked with Billy Cardone, executive director of downtown's Exit 82 Theatre Co., to establish Toms River's first Pride Festival in 2019. This year's event was attended by more than 3,000 people.

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Huryk also was a council representative with TR UNITED (Toms River United, Stronger Together), which established the first "Around the World in Toms River" festival to celebrate the township's diversity in 2019. The festival, which is now run by the police department, was held for the second time this year. 

Huryk, a long-time Girl Scout leader, was able to get council recognition for young women who receive Silver and Gold awards from the Girl Scouts for completing community service projects; the council has long recognized young men for achieving the Boy Scouts' Eagle Scout rank. 

"Now the girls have a plaque downstairs the same as the boys do," Huryk said. A strong champion of legalizing marijuana, Huryk chaired the township's cannabis committee, although she expressed disappointment that the council chose not to follow the committee's recommendation to allow cultivation and manufacture of recreational weed here.

Turnbach was a staunch advocate for the homeless during his council tenure; he pushed for the state to change its rules on when towns can open Code Blue shelters for the homeless during the winter. Before the law was changed, emergency overnight shelters could only open when the temperature was 32 degrees or lower with precipitation or 25 degrees or lower without precipitation.

After lobbying from Turnbach and homeless advocates, the state law was changed so that emergency shelters now open at 32 degrees, regardless of precipitation. Earlier this year, Turnbach slept outside town hall on a chilly January night to highlight the need for a transitional housing shelter in Ocean County.

He said Tuesday his advocacy was inspired by a homeless senior citizen named Mike, who used to live in the woods off Hooper Avenue. Turnbach drove Mike to the township's Code Blue shelter at Riverwood Park many times, and said he learned a lot about homelessness through talking to Mike and working closely with people like Paul Hulse, the founder and executive director of Just Believe Inc., which runs the Riverwood Park shelter.

"Mike lit a spark that turned into an inferno to make sure people like mike have a place to go in Ocean County," Turnbach said.

Turnbach also mentioned lobbying to get $400,000 in state funds to help complete the "Field of Dreams" park for people with disabilities, and helping to obtain more than $7 million in transitional aid for Toms River Regional schools as among his proudest accomplishments.

Turnbach also founded the Toms River Education Foundation, which has raised more than $30,000 to support sports and extracurricular activities in the school system, and has been a regular presence — along with Huryk and Maruca — at the township's weekly food distribution, which just completed its 92nd week.

"Terrance, on behalf of the Board of Education, and the parents in Toms River, we would be lost without the stabilization aid you acquired for us," school board member Jennifer Howe said. 

The departing council members received praise from their colleagues.

"Maria, you have taught me about being persistent, Laurie, you have taught me about being compassionate, Terrance, you have taught me about commitment," Councilman Josh Kopp said. 

"The three of you have served with honor, dignity and class that you have brought Planning to this council," Council President Kevin M. Geoghegan said. "I wish you all well."

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore for nearly 36 years. She's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle, 732-643-4050, jmikle@gannettnj.com.