At a contentious Township Council meeting, Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick slammed a series of council-backed proposals, accusing the council majority of advancing measures rooted in political patronage rather than municipal need, public safety or taxpayer interest.
Rodrick focused first on a proposal to create a new municipal position for Noriko Kowalski, described by the mayor as a political operative and campaign worker affiliated with the council majority. According to Rodrick, the position was not requested by any township department and lacks a defined job description or scope of work.
“This position was never identified as a need in any department,” Rodrick said during the meeting. He said the role would carry an estimated annual cost of $126,000, including salary, benefits and pension obligations.
“It is a position created solely because of political connections,” Rodrick said, adding that he would not approve the hire.
The mayor also addressed a proposed police ordinance that would extend an existing promotional eligibility list. Rodrick said the measure was designed to ensure the promotion of a specific individual with political ties to the council majority, rather than to improve public safety or police operations.
“This is not about public safety or improving operations,” Rodrick said.
He stated that the township’s police chief opposes the ordinance, arguing it would delay promotional opportunities for more than 100 eligible officers — including dozens seeking advancement to sergeant, detective and lieutenant — by extending the current list for another year. Rodrick said he intends to veto the ordinance if it reaches his desk.
Turning to a resolution related to the township animal shelter, Rodrick said Ocean County has agreed to provide animal shelter services for Toms River at no cost. He argued that the council majority’s push to reopen a local shelter is unnecessary and financially irresponsible.
“The only reason the council majority wants to reopen the shelter locally is to restore jobs for their friends and family who previously worked there,” Rodrick said. He cited estimates from the Ocean County Board of Health indicating that bringing the former shelter building into regulatory compliance would cost between $5 million and $6 million, including upgrades to ventilation systems, cages and animal housing facilities.
Rodrick said reopening the shelter would impose significant costs on Toms River taxpayers despite the availability of county-run services at no charge.
The mayor framed his remarks as part of a broader effort to rein in spending and eliminate patronage. He said his administration has cut approximately $11 million in what he described as wasteful or unnecessary spending while keeping municipal taxes flat for the past two years.
“We will not return to the failed practices of the past,” Rodrick said. “We will not govern by patronage, disadvantage our police officers, or create unnecessary jobs for political insiders.”
Rodrick also argued that the council lacks authority under the Faulkner Act to create certain municipal positions without executive approval, signaling that further conflict between the mayor’s office and the council majority may lie ahead.