Police Staffing Controversy Sparks Recall Petition In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — When hundreds of Toms River residents gathered downtown last Wednesday, it was more than just a rally to oppose staffing changes in the police department. It was the kickoff of a recall petition.

This recall, however, is focused on the proposed ordinance that would eliminate two captains' positions, which Mayor Daniel Rodrick has said is needed to fund eight EMTs to shorten emergency response times.

The recall petition was part of a chaotic week that not only included the township council meeting on Zoom that was cut short when a man began an antisemitic rant, but also included the resignation of the township business administrator and his assistant.

Scott Tirella, who was the business administrator, and Loring Dunton, whose position was listed as an administrative assistant but who was referred to by many as the assistant business administrator, both resigned their positions a month after Rodrick appointed them.

"I can't comment," Tirella said when reached on Jan. 29 by telephone and asked whether he was resigning. Tirella had agreed to a six-month contract to serve as business administrator.

Rodrick told the Asbury Park Press that Tirella had never planned to stay long as the business administrator. In December, Tirella had been granted a temporary leave of absence from his job as safety and compliance officer with Toms River MUA.

Rodrick did not respond to a message asking why he would appoint a business administrator to a short term when the business administrator plays a critical role in governing the town, including preparation of the annual municipal budget, implementing policies and procedures established by the council, making recommendations for long-range planning and capital improvements, and supervising and directing the business functions of all township departments.

Jonathan Salonis, who Rodrick had appointed head of the recreation department, has been appointed business administrator. Salonis was the communications director for the city of Carteret, but also has a long history in Ocean County as a Democratic political consultant. He ran a Democratic Party blog, Jersey Shore Insider, that in 2015 shared screenshots of anti-Mexican posts that forced a Berkeley Township MUA officialto step down, according to Asbury Park Press reports at the time. He also worked for Brick Township from January 2016 to April 2018.

Dunton also stepped down, and criticized Rodrick for a "scorched earth campaign" that led to multiple firings. "Thoughtful Governance was never a guiding principle nor was a search for what was best for the citizens of Toms River," Dunton, a former lieutenant in the Toms River police force, wrote.

"If he were such a successful business person he wouldn't have taken a job as the secretary of my interim BA," Rodrick said in response, adding that Dunton was chosen by Tirella. "I had zero interaction with him except on one task that he dropped the ball on. I was not impressed and I'm glad he moved on."

He also noted that Dunton "retired as a member of TRPD's brass."

The chaotic Toms River council meeting was halted before the council could vote on the controversial ordinance that would eliminate the captains' positions. It's not clear when the council will meet next, though Rodrick told News 12 they will not try the Zoom format again.

Read more: Antisemitic Commenter Forces End To Chaotic Toms River Zoom Meeting

The delay gives the organizers of the petition drive more time to gather signatures on the recall petition. If successful, the petition would force the council to either rescind the ordinance or put it to the voters as a referendum.

Under New Jersey's recall election law governing ordinances of towns and counties, a petition to challenge an ordinance needs signatures from 15 percent of the town's entire votes cast "at the last preceding general election at which members of the General Assembly were elected." Those who sign must be Toms River residents, and the petitioners have 20 days from the final vote passing the ordinance to submit the recall petition.

In 2023, there were 20,003 votes cast in the Toms River mayoral election, so the recall petition needs roughly 3,000 signatures. The petition campaign, signed by five Toms River residents, is aiming to collect 5,000, Phillip Brilliant said at the rally. In addition to Brilliant, the petition campaign committee includes Dana Tormollan, Jeff Kettig, William Morsch and Joanne Gethard.

The threshold for the ordinance recall is substantially lower than the threshold to recall an elected official; New Jersey law requires 25 percent of registered voters to sign a petition seeking to recall an official. There were 71,672 voters in Toms River for the November 2023 election.

The Toms River PBA is hosting two signature collection events, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, and from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 10, both at the Fairways Clubhouse, 3600 Cypress Point Drive, Toms River.

Rodrick has insisted the elimination of the captains' positions is the only solution to fund the EMTs, stating the township faces a $3.5 million shortfall for the 2024 budget. "The majority of the town is behind us," he told the Asbury Park Press.

Councilman James Quinlisk, who has opposed Rodrick's move to cut the positions, challenged the $3.5 million assertion during the rally on Wednesday.

"There is no budget, no budget committee," said Quinlisk, who served on the finance committee in 2023.

He also challenged Rodrick's assertion that the majority of the town supports the move to cut the captains' positions.

"He didn't run on cutting police. He ran on stopping overdevelopment and stopping the downtown apartment project," Quinlisk said.

Quinlisk said the reaction to the police ordinance far exceeds any other controversy that has arisen in town in the time he has been on the council.

"There were no rallies" over the certificate of occupany ordinance, Quinlisk said, and those issues never generated more than a handful of emails.

"I've gotten more emails about this (the police ordinance) than anything else during my term," Quinlisk said.