Health Benefits for T.R. Council Members Becomes Campaign Issue

Taxpayer-funded health benefits for part-time elected officials could be a thing of the past in Toms River if four Democrats oust the Republican majority on the Toms River Township council in next month's municipal race.

Paul Brush, Linda Stevens, Gary Clifton and Eli Eytan each pledged this week that they would not take health benefits – or an available payout for refusing the benefits – if they were to be elected.

Further, Paul Brush, a former mayor and candidate for the Ward 2 council seat, said he and his running mates would be open to enacting an ordinance that could preclude council members from receiving health benefits.

Toms River uses a private insurance carrier for its employee health benefits, meaning the municipality is not covered under reforms enacted several years ago to the state employee health benefits system that barred newly-elected officials from receiving benefits.

Toms River does not offer health insurance benefits to its part-time employees, but council members may still receive them. That policy has been subject to intense public criticism, and is often brought up at council meetings.

Three of the seven current council members – Maurice "Mo" Hill, Jeffrey Carr and Al Manforti – receive health benefits from the township. Carr and Manforti are up for re-election this year.

Carr did not return a message from Toms River Patch seeking comment on the issue. Manforti could not be reached.

At a recent council meeting, no members of the governing body appeared ready to give up benefits when pressed by a member of the public.

"This has been in place for over 30 years, and the salary has been the same amount for 30 years," said Council President George Wittmann, of the benefits option. "The benefits came with the salary."

Benefits prices vary depending on the type of coverage they include, especially between individual and family coverage. Family coverage packages can cost taxpayers in upwards of $25,000 per year, per employee.

"This stuff has to stop," said Brush. "People are getting benefits and everything else for what effectively is a part-time job."

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Correction: An earlier version of this article did not identify Councilman Alfonso Manforti as seeking re-election this year. He is, in Ward 1.