TOMS RIVER, NJ – Toms River Township has a new mayor and on Tuesday, Dan Rodrick and is council team consisting of Craig Coleman, Lynn O’Toole, and Tom Nivison were sworn into office to close the chapter on the four-year tenure of Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill.
Rodrick, sworn in by New Jersey Republican State Senator John Bramnick, and his team got to work right away on fulfilling campaign promises made to the people of Toms River.
“I asked Sen. Jon Bramnick to swear me in today because he has a long record of bringing Republicans and Democrats together to solve complex problems. It’s time to bring everyone together here in Toms River,” he said. “We all want the same thing. Everyone wants to live in a town with safe streets, good schools and low property taxes. People moved to Toms River to get away from overcrowded cities. Residents are happy with the way Toms River is. We don’t want to live in a city.”
Rodrick and his team quickly got down to business.
In a 4-2 vote, the town council voted to repeal Hill’s certificate of occupancy ordinance, which introduced layers of red tape, fees, and roadblocks for residents selling and buying homes in town. That ordinance was enacted to crack down on homeowners who performed renovations without getting permits in the past, making a township inspection mandatory before selling a home.
Hill-allied councilmen James Quinlisk and David Ciccozzi voted against the ordinance. Both said they stood by the ordinance. Ciccozi said the repeal of the ordinance would create unsafe situations for potential homebuyers. Councilman Justin Lamb corrected the record saying home buyers would still need to perform independent home inspections and a fire inspection by the township is necessary for a certificate of occupancy for any home sold in the township.
Rodrick also promised to continue to the fight against BASF at the Ciba-Geigy property and announced he will be hiring a lawyer to help the township undo the deal Hill and his administration made with Capodaglia properties to build a large apartment building downtown.
Instead, Rodrick said he would like to see recreation and retail shops along a revitalized waterfront that will draw visitors who will come to the area, engage in recreational activities, have dinner, enjoy the waterfront, and go home.
“Nobody who moved to Toms River wants to see our town become a city,” he said.
Rodrick spoke out against the urbanization of Toms River and said he and his administration will do what it takes to make sure the town remains a suburban community.
Rodrick appointed retired Lacey Township Police Department Lt. Scott Tirella as the new business administrator, replacing Lou Amoruso. Amoruso, who previously served as Director of the Department of Public Works, moved himself back to a job he vacated four years ago prior to Rodrick taking office. However, Rodrick announced on Tuesday that since the position had been vacant for four years, it would be cut, noting that the department has run smoothly without a director for the past four years.
It was the first cut announced in Rodrick’s plan to reduce public patronage jobs by $500,000 upon taking office, another campaign promise he made to the residents of Toms River.