MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The Middletown School Board is embroiled in a political dispute with Toms River Mayor Dan Rodrick, releasing confidential employment records in what Rodrick has called a “total hit job” and a politically motivated attack.
“This is a political witch hunt and retaliation for the good government policies we are pursuing in Toms River. In 23 and a half years, I have never received a negative evaluation,” Rodrick said. “For the last five years, I was rated as highly effective. Just two weeks before these charges, the district evaluated me as effective and made no mention of any shortcomings in my performance.”
Rodrick also noted that the district had hired him to write its science curriculum in five different school years.
According to a text message screenshot from a former school board member, the push against Rodrick was orchestrated by former Middletown Mayor Tony Fiore, who now serves as Monmouth County GOP co-chairman.
The former board member, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, “They don’t like him, and that’s true. We both know what happens when they [Monmouth County GOP] don’t like you.”
Rodrick claims the conflict began after he took office as Toms River mayor and fired a political consultant with financial ties to the Middletown School Board. He contends that until his election victory, he maintained a strong record with the district. Rodrick released his district performance reviews from 2022 through 2024, which were confirmed by both Shore News Network and the Asbury Park Press as identifying his performance as highly effective.
Records from the New Jersey Law Enforcement Election Commission show that school board members Jacqueline Tobacco and Frank Capone paid Monmouth County GOP operative Art Gallagher $20,000. Gallagher was fired by Rodrick in January 2024, which Rodrick claims marked the beginning of his troubles with the district.
Rodrick was elected mayor of Toms River after defeating former Mayor Mo Hill in a 2023 landslide. Gallagher, who was Hill’s paid campaign manager, held a $120,000-per-year township job with full benefits under Hill’s administration and received tens of thousands of dollars for work on Hill’s political campaigns in 2019 and 2023.
In the 2023 election, Capone and Tobacco each paid Gallagher, the former editor of More Monmouth Musings, $10,000. Rodrick alleges that Gallagher’s campaign work specifically targeted him. On multiple occasions, Rodrick said he observed Gallagher following him and taking pictures of him on school property and during his commute.
Gallagher has a history of legal trouble. In 2011, while running for office in his hometown, he was arrested and extradited to Delaware for allegedly stealing $750,000 worth of school buses, according to a report in the Two River Times. He suspended his campaign while in jail and did not resume it after his release. Gallagher is also affiliated with Monmouth County GOP Chairman Shawn Golden, who has hired him multiple times as a campaign consultant.
The district contends that Rodrick sent 11 township emails and made two personal phone calls over a six-month period, citing documents allegedly provided by Gallagher. Metadata from a file released by the district shows Gallagher’s fingerprints in the digital headers.
Rodrick dismissed the accusations, stating, “This is a political vendetta by the members of the Middletown School Board, whose paid political consultant, Art Gallagher, was fired from his no-show job at Town Hall. It is also retribution for eliminating lucrative contracts for political insiders and for speaking out against policies that deprived Middletown special needs students of a thorough and efficient education. All the details will be available to the public in a few weeks when we file our lawsuit against the district.”
The district has also accused Rodrick of “exposing his belly” in front of students in a gymnasium.
Parents and witnesses said the incident took place during a fundraiser after Rodrick won a wing-eating contest. They described him rubbing his belly in celebration to excite the students, who responded with cheers.
One of the contracts canceled by Rodrick in Toms River was with Kevin Geoghegan, owner of Silverton First Aid, a paid EMS service. The New Jersey Globe confirmed that the Middletown School District provided Geoghegan with Rodrick’s personnel records, potentially violating the Open Public Records Act. Toms River is now suing Geoghegan, alleging he improperly took $750,000 in ambulance fees and $70,000 in gasoline from township fuel stations. Rodrick terminated the township’s relationship with Geoghegan, who also lost his seat in the 2023 election to Rodrick’s team.
Geoghegan previously worked with Monmouth County GOP Chairman Golden as a Toms River police officer, and they were also connected through Geoghegan’s medical company.
Rodrick stated that Geoghegan’s contract was terminated after township auditors found evidence of theft and potential fraud involving Geoghegan and the first aid squad.
Shore News Network reached out to Gallagher on Tuesday for comment, but he did not respond when asked about his name appearing on the district’s spreadsheet given to Geoghegan.
Rodrick’s former students have defended him online.
“I had him as a teacher back in middle school… He was never inappropriate towards students and was so overly passionate in his science lectures!” Caitlin Behan commented.
Julie Hertzog added, “My daughter said he did it when he was announced and came out for a wing-eating contest.”
Meanwhile, the Middletown School District faces other controversies unrelated to Rodrick.
Last month, the Middletown High School girls’ basketball coach was placed on paid leave following his arrest for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a student. Justin McGhee has been charged with sexual assault.
Additionally, Shore News Network has been investigating claims that a school teacher, who was recently promoted to administrator, allegedly showered with high school football players.
The district is also being sued by the family of a student who committed suicide in 2022. The lawsuit alleges that the school ignored ongoing bullying and intimidation, which contributed to the death of 14-year-old Jocelyn Walters.
In 2021, a former student at Thompson Middle School fathered a child with a female teacher while he was in the fifth grade. That same year, a Middletown High School South teacher was arrested for distributing child pornography online.
Rodrick’s dismissal from the district may not align with state law. Under state regulations, a tenured teacher must be identified as ineffective for two consecutive years before termination. The district is required to implement a corrective action plan, giving the teacher two years to improve. No such action plan was created for Rodrick, who was rated as highly effective as recently as 2024.
The district has yet to provide evidence that it followed the legal process for terminating a tenured teacher.