TOMS RIVER, NJ – Years ago, political double-dipping, holding of more than one public job by a public official, was a big problem. Governor Chris Christie enacted a law to prevent double dippers at the state level, including local Mayor Michael Reina of Jackson. Reina worked as mayor of Jackson and held a politically appointed state job at the New Jersey Department of Homeland Security. When Christie enacted his double-dipper law, Reina was forced to stop taking his municipal salary and was eventually given a new double-dip safe haven in Ocean County.
Christie’s law prevented state-level double dipping, but one New Jersey Assemblyman holds an astronomical 21 public jobs! The revelation came in light of an emerging political corruption scandal out of Toms River where District 10 Assemblyman Gregory McGuckin is now facing accusations of extortion and political corruption by Councilman Daniel Rodrick. We looked into Rodrick’s claim and requested documents on file with the State of New Jersey and discovered McGuckin holds 21 public jobs, earning an estimated $2,000,000 annually for his firm.
In McGuckin’s 2020 financial disclosure on file with the state, McGuckin’s Local Government Ethics Law Financial Disclosure list 21 different sources of income for the assemblyman who makes $40,000 per year from his elected office. According to Rodrick, 21 jobs is not enough for McGuckin as he’s now politicking for jobs number 22 and 23.
Here’s a list of jobs currently held by McGuckin, according to his financial disclosure he submitted last week to the State of New Jersey:
1 Berkeley Township – County of Ocean Municipal Utilities Authority Conflict Attorney
2 North Hanover Township – County of Burlington North Hanover Township Joint Land Use Board Board Attorney
3 Lacey Township – County of Ocean LMUA Solicitor
4 Plumsted Township – County of Ocean Planning Board Attorney
5 Ocean County – County of Ocean OCEAN COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES LABOR COUNSEL
6 Hamilton Township – County of Mercer Township of Hamilton Alternate Municipal Prosecutor
7 Surf City Borough – County of Ocean Borough of Surf City Attorney
8 Beachwood Borough – County of Ocean Borough of Beachwood Joint Land Use Board Attorney
9 Point Pleasant Borough – County of Ocean Borough Attorney Borough Attorney
10 Seaside Park Borough – County of Ocean Seaside Park Alternate Municipal Prosecutor
11 Lakehurst Borough – County of Ocean Borough of Lakehurst Prosecutor
12 Upper Freehold Township – County of Monmouth Upper Freehold Township Public Defender
13 Jackson Township – County of Ocean Jackson Township Township Attorney
14 Toms River Township – County of Ocean Planning Board & Board of Adjustment/Toms River Township Planning Board and Board of Adjustment Attorney
15 Ship Bottom Borough – County of Ocean Ship Bottom Borough Municipal Attorney
16 Ocean Township – County of Ocean Township of Ocean Attorney
17 Lacey Township – County of Ocean Township of Lacey Attorney
18 Berkeley Township – County of Ocean Berkeley Township Council Appointment Special Counsel for Litigation0
19 Berkeley Township – County of Ocean Berkeley Township Council Appointment Conflict Attorney
20 Berkeley Township – County of Ocean Planning Board Attorney
21 Berkeley Township – County of Ocean Berkeley Township Council Appointment Alternate Prosecutor
But Rodrick claims McGuckin has 45 jobs, how can that be? It turns out McGuckin’s firm has 24 other contracts with other entities across the state through his partners Jerry Dasti and fellow Assemblyman Christopher Connors. Connors, alone has 17 public jobs outside of his elected position as a New Jersey Assemblyman and those jobs aren’t the same ones claimed by McGuckin.
Here’s a list of Assemblyman Connors’ 17 public jobs:
1 Lacey Township – County of Ocean LMUA Solicitor
2 Ocean County – County of Ocean OCEAN COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES LABOR COUNSEL
3 Berkeley Township – County of Ocean Municipal Utilities Authority Conflict Attorney
4 Surf City Borough – County of Ocean Borough of Surf City Borough Attorney
5 Galloway Township – County of Atlantic Zoning Board Zoning Board Attorney
6 Galloway Township – County of Atlantic Planning Board Conflict PB Attorney 0
7 Island Heights Borough – County of Ocean Administration Special Counsel
8 Beachwood Borough – County of Ocean Borough of Beachwood Joint Land Use Board Attorney
9 Point Pleasant Borough – County of Ocean Borough Attorney Borough Attorney
10 Evesham Township – County of Burlington EVESHAM TOWNSHIP PROFESSIONAL LABOR COUNSEL
11 Tuckerton Borough – County of Ocean Tuckerton Borough Borough Solicitor
12 Upper Freehold Township – County of Monmouth Upper Freehold Township Public Defender
13 Jackson Township – County of Ocean Jackson Township Planning Board Planning Board Attorney
14 Ship Bottom Borough – County of Ocean Ship Bottom Borough Municipal Attorney
15 Berkeley Township – County of Ocean Planning Board Attorney
16 Berkeley Township – County of Ocean Berkeley Township Council Appointment ALTERNATE MUNICIPAL PROSECUTORS 12/31/2020
17 Lacey Township – County of Ocean Township of Lacey Attorney
Jerry Dasti, the political muscle behind the Ocean County GOP organization holds no official political office, because he was never able to win one and had to install himself as shadow chairman in the background of figurehead chairman Frank B. Holman, who has been hiding out in the midwest during the entire COVID-19 pandemic. Dasti reaps the financial rewards of having two well-connected assemblymen in his firm. Dasti’s not as fortunate as his partners McGuckin and Connors, he holds only 15 public jobs, some overlap with his parters, bringing the firm’s total public contract take to 45 jobs, earning well over $2,000,000 annually in public contracts.
Here’s the15 jobs held by Dasti:
1 Point Pleasant Beach Borough – County of Ocean Administration Special Projects Attorney
2 Barnegat Township – County of Ocean Barnegat Township Attorney
3 South Harrison Township – County of Gloucester Land Use Board Board Solicitor 12/31/2020
4 Ocean County – County of Ocean OCEAN COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES LABOR COUNSEL
5 Ocean County – County of Ocean OCEAN COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH LABOR COUNSEL
6 Seaside Park Borough – County of Ocean Seaside Park Special Legal Counsel 12/31/2020
7 Lacey Township – County of Ocean Township of Lacey Public Defender
8 Lacey Township – County of Ocean Township of Lacey LMUA Attorney
9 Berkeley Township – County of Ocean Berkeley Township Council Appointment Tax Appeal Attorney 12/31/2020
10 Berkeley Township – County of Ocean Council Appointment Special Counsel for Litigation 12/31/2020
11 Manchester Township – County of Ocean Municipal Court Special Counsel
12 Jackson Township – County of Ocean Jackson Township Attorney
13 Ocean Township – County of Ocean Township of Ocean Attorney
14 Lakewood Township – County of Ocean Lakewood Township Special Counsel 12/31/2020
15 South Toms River Borough – County of Ocean South Toms River Borough Attorney
At the end of the day, Rodrick’s claim that McGuckin holds 45 jobs is not exactly wrong. McGuckin personally holds 21 of his firms 45 public jobs, according to his own financial disclosures. Whether or not McGuckin, as accused by Rodrick is now pushing his weight around in Toms River to get a job at the Toms River Municipal Utilities Authority and as the town attorney remains to be seen. Rodrick said he will be filing an ethics complaint against McGuckin.
Photo by Viacheslav Bublyk on Unsplash