Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick Recall Enters Final Months

Recently, Mayor Daniel Rodrick declared, “I will not quit, I will not be intimidated, and I will not stop fighting for taxpayers. Transparency and accountability are worth defending—no matter the cost.” These words would carry weight if they reflected his conduct in office. Instead, they stand in stark contrast to a record defined by secrecy, retaliation, and a refusal to take responsibility. When a leader speaks of transparency while governing in the shadows, the result is not strength—it is deception. And residents of Toms River have had enough.

The recall effort—now surpassing 7,000 signatures—is not driven by political rivals but by neighbors who have watched their government shift away from serving the public and toward serving the mayor’s personal agenda. Under Mayor Rodrick, patronage jobs have multiplied for friends, family, and political allies, while essential community services have been ignored. There have been no new police officers hired, at a time when public safety needs are increasing. EMS staffing has decreased, leaving our community more vulnerable during emergencies. This is not leadership—it is neglect.

The most disturbing example of mismanagement remains the asbestos exposure incident at the proposed Clifton Avenue Park, which endangered municipal employees and residents. Instead of accepting responsibility, Mayor Rodrick suspended a Building Department employee and blamed others. This has become a pattern: deny, deflect, and accuse—while never acknowledging his own role as the administrator ultimately responsible for the town’s operations. With state investigations now underway, his claims of “transparency and accountability” ring more hollow than ever.

But perhaps nothing demonstrates his disregard for democratic norms more clearly than what occurred at the November 12, 2024 Council meeting. On that night, Mayor Rodrick attempted to push through sweeping changes to the Toms River code that would have stripped power from the Township Council and consolidated unprecedented authority in the mayor’s office—changes that legal experts and longtime residents alike recognized as a direct violation of the Faulkner Act form of government that voters adopted decades ago.

In a rare show of bipartisan unity, the Council refused to support his overreach. And what was the mayor’s response when he lost? He stormed out of the meeting. He did not stay. He did not listen to public comment. He did not face the residents who came to speak. Instead, he walked out on the very people he claims he is fighting for. That display of disrespect and arrogance made clear what many have already realized: Mayor Rodrick is not interested in listening to the public—only in controlling them.

Recalling a sitting mayor in New Jersey is no simple task. The process is deliberately difficult, which is why so few officials in our state have ever been successfully recalled. But the difficulty of the process only underscores the seriousness of the effort now underway in Toms River. To advance the recall, residents must collect 18,464 valid signatures by January 25, 2026—a monumental number. And yet each day, more Toms River residents step forward to sign, volunteer, and speak out. They do so not because it is easy, but because they understand what is at stake.

This recall is not about politics. It is about restoring trust, protecting our community, and stopping an administration that has consistently placed personal power above public service. Mayor Rodrick may insist that he “will not quit,” but the truth is that he has already quit on the people of Toms River—by failing to lead, failing to listen, and failing to govern with integrity.

I urge residents to learn more about the recall effort and to get involved. Information is available at www.recalldanielrodrick.com or by emailing recalldanielrodrick@gmail.com. Our community deserves honesty. We deserve accountability. And we deserve a government that respects its people.