Toms River Workers Furloughed; Council Drops Salary; Mayor Hill Keeps $75,000 Paycheck

Shore News Network

TOMS RIVER-According to a report today in the Asbury Park Press, all of Toms River’s seven elected council members have opted to forfeit their $8,900 part-time salaries they receive from the municipality in a show of solidarity with the workers being furloughed by Mayor Maurice Hill.

What We Know

  • All 7 Toms River Township councilmembers voluntarily abandoned their salaries.
  • Mayor Mo Hill will continue to take his $75,000 salary.
  • Hill is a retired dentist and retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral.
  • Township workers being furloughed without pay.
  • Hill looking to give campaign donor Greg McGuckin 250,000 job.
  • McGuckin’s firm already makes over $2,000,000 annually from public pay to play contracts.
  • McGuckin’s firm already earning over $125,000 from an existing Township legal contract.
  • Mo Hill announced 7% tax increase.
  • Mo Hill just approved $4,000,000 in new vehicle fleet purchases for DPW Director Lou Amoroso.

As of today, the mayor, who is also a part-time employee of the township receives a $75,000 annual paycheck.  Hill is a retired dentist and retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral.  At a salary of $75,000 per year, Hill is also one of the highest-paid mayors in the entire state.

The move by the township council will save the town an additional few thousand dollars more on top of an estimated payroll cut of $248,000 announced this week by Hill.   Hill has decided to furlough township workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.    Councilmembers in Toms River, however, did not say if they will forfeit their $40,000 annual medical plan being paid for by the township taxpayers for their part-time positions.


Hill also did not deny that he is seeking to clear the table in this year’s budget for an all-you-can eat taxpayer funded buffet for campaign donor, Assemblyman Gregory P. McGuckin. Hill’s appointment of McGuckin would see the Toms River attorney add up to an additional $250,000 annually on his take of an estimated $2,000,000 in annual public contracts throughout Ocean County.  McGuckin’s firm also serves as the Zoning Board attorney for the township of Lakewood. This year, McGuckin landed big contracts in Jackson, Manchester, Lacey and Barnegat. He also works for Atlantic City, leaving the question unanswered, how can one man have six-figure jobs in nearly one dozen municipalities here at the Jersey Shore.  McGuckin would be replacing a staff of full-time attorneys currently on the township payroll.

 

 

You appear to be using an ad blocker

Shore News Network is a free website that does not use paywalls or charge for access to original, breaking news content. In order to provide this free service, we rely on advertisements. Please support our journalism by disabling your ad blocker for this website.