Business District supports name change…
The Toms River business Development Corporation (TRBDC) has announced its support of efforts to change the name of Dover Township to the Toms River.

The organization, which manages the Toms River Business Improvement District (TRBID), has sent a resolution to the Mayor of Dover Township, the Dover Township Council, and the Toms River Ocean County Chamber of Commerce. "Our Board of Directors believe that it is well past time to end the confusion regarding the name of our community,” stated Frank Capone, Chairman of the TRBDC. “Ours is a vibrant, exciting, growing community, yet it is hampered by the name confusion."

Common use of Toms River to identify the community, yet the legal identification as Dover Township, is the primary issue behind the change. The organization’s resolution points out that the name Toms River is usually the name used in identifying the county seat, yet the county seat is actually Dover Township. The resolution notes that the Post Office calls the town Toms River and that most of the notable organizations and events associated with the community, such as the Toms River Halloween Parade and the championship Toms River East Little League, use the Toms River name.

"We are at a disadvantage in being considered as a location by many of the national and regional retail and restaurant chains and in pursuing grant money because of the name confusion,” Capone explains. “When you do research on Toms River, you many wind up only with information about the small area that historically was known as the Village of Toms River. If you do a search just on Dover you may wind up with information concerning the small community of Dover in Morris County.” Capone stressed that even maps show Toms River to the south and Dover to the north. Dover Township does not appear on most maps.

Commenting on the change, Michael Redpath, Interim Executive Director of the TRBDC, commented that the greatest challenge to clarifying the town’s name is the general public’s comfort with the status quo. “The average resident always calls Dover Township Toms River and tends to rarely think of the Dover Township name,” Redpath explained. “They see no problem, so they tend to vote to leave things as they are. I hope that all of us who support the name change will do an effective job of educating the public.”