Follow-Up Letter Regarding Lack of Response and Call for Resignation

December 8, 2025

Mayor Daniel Rodrick

Toms River Township

33 Washington Street

Toms River, NJ 08753

Mayor Rodrick,

I am writing again because I have received no response to my December 1, 2025 letter. The lack of acknowledgment from your office on matters that directly affect residents and employees reflects exactly why so many in Toms River feel unheard, dismissed, and misrepresented by your administration.

You have publicly suggested that I—and others—should give up our TRMUA health beneifts “to save ratepayers money.” If that is genuinely your principle, then I ask you directly: Are you willing to surrender your Toms River taxpayer-funded township health benefits to save money for the Toms River taxpayers since you have benefits available from you full-time job in Irvington or your wife’s full-time teaching job in Bradley Beach?

Since you referenced ratepayers, let us be clear:

• Residential and Commercial ratepayers pay TRMUA for sewer services through a fee system.
• Taxpayers fund the municipal budget, including your salary ($75,000/year), benefits (health insurance, free use of vehicle with fuel, maintenance, and insurance), and public communications (letters from the mayor, FAKE newspapers, and social media outlets).

If eliminating benefits is your vision for saving money, then it must begin with elected officials who ask others to sacrifice while they do not.

Since the day you took office, a significant and growing number of residents have expressed concerns regarding your leadership, including:

• A lack of transparency and communication with the public.
• Decisions that many residents feel prioritize personal visibility over municipal needs.
• The use of taxpayer dollars for promotional signage and events labeled Presented by Daniel Rodrick which many see as self-promotional rather than beneficial to the town.
• A sense that Town Hall is not being run for the people, with key concerns going unanswered—just as this letter initially was.

These concerns are not isolated. They have become widespread.

In 2023, when you were elected mayor, you received approximately 13,700 votes. Today, less than two years into your term, the recall effort has gathered approximately 10,000 signatures—already approaching that number, and on the way toward the 18,464 signatures required by January 25, 2026.

This makes one thing unmistakably clear:

Residents and voters want change now. They cannot afford to wait until 2028.

Whether the recall succeeds or not, the overwhelming desire for new leadership speaks for itself. Many residents believe that continuing down this path will only result in further division, wasted public resources, and an erosion of trust in local government.

If you truly want to save taxpayer money, then you can do so immediately and decisively:

Resign now and eliminate entirely the need for a costly special recall election.

Doing so would:

• Save taxpayers substantial funds.
• Restore stability and trust in Town Hall.
• Allow new leadership to step forward—leadership that is truly present, accountable, and committed to serving residents rather than promoting themselves.

Resignation is not a defeat; it is an acknowledgment of the will of the people and an act of responsibility toward the community you were elected to serve.

Toms River deserves leadership that listens, responds, and acts for the good of the community. The time for genuine, resident-focused leadership is now.

Sincerely,

Philip I. Brilliant

Resident of Toms River