TOMS RIVER, NJ – The Toms River Township council has approved a $14 million spending bill proposed by Council President Matt Lotano and Mayor Maurice Hill that will pave the way for further expansion in Downtown Toms River.
Lotano said the spending for the “downtown loop” will help get more residents in and out of Downtown Toms River faster, and although it predates the 10-story twin tower project championed by Hill and Lotano, the loop is vital to the future growth of the downtown area.
Lotano and Hill refused to split the $14 million line of credit between emergency services spending and downtown infrastructure spending.
A motion made by Councilman Dan Rodrick to split the expenses into two ordinances was flat out rejected by Lotano. A second motion by Rodrick to table the $14 million bond ordinance was defeated in a 5-2 vote.
Rodrick and Councilman Justin Lamb, a police officer, were the only two no votes on the matter. Lamb expressed his disappointment with the action, saying he is obviously not anti-police, but would have liked to see the emergency services component of the bill as a separate vote that he could approve and to deny the spending related to the downtown expansion project.
Rodrick noted that Hill and Lotano were using the bill as a political strategy to make himself and Lamb look ‘anti-cop’ and ‘anti-public safety’.
Lamb noted that a previous assessment by Lotano, claiming the bill including ten new police cars was a lie.
“It’s for unfitting, not new cars,” Lamb said.
Lotano said he would have split the bills prior to the meeting, but nobody asked him to do it ahead of the meeting, despite the measure being voted down last month for the same reason.
Art Gallagher, Mo Hill’s personal press secretary came under fire by Rodrick after Gallagher admitted last week to Shore News Network that forcing the vote against Rodrick and Lamb was meant to pigeonhole Rodrick politically to make him vote against the police car upgrades and a single purchase of an ambulance.
“People are going to die”
That was the theme at the last meeting after the measure was blocked.
Mo Hill said lives are at risk in Toms River because Lamb and Rodrick voted against the $14 million spending bill.
Art Gallagher, spokesman for Mayor Mo Hill, who also works on the political campaign for Hill’s re-election bid, said the mayor stands behind his statement. Gallagher denied the notion that Hill’s comment was sensationalized fear-mongering during an election cycle.
“If you can’t see how not buying ten new police cars and one ambulance is not putting lives at risk, then you’re not as smart as I thought you were,” Gallagher responded. A point later proven as false by Lamb, as the expense was for ‘upfitting’ existing police vehicles.
Gallagher later admitted there was no imminent threat of loss of life, but that over the course of ten years, lives could be at risk if the police department did not receive the ten vehicles (since debunked). He added that Hill’s proposal put Rodrick in a political pickle because he can now be branded as “anti-police” in the upcoming campaign.
Because of that, Hill and Lotano, who is also running for reflection did not split the funding requests into two bond ordinances splitting the life-saving emergency services funding from the downtown development funding.
When asked if Mayor Hill would reintroduce the bond ordinance separating emergency services from infrastructure projects, Gallagher said, “Why should he?”
Instead, Gallagher said the mayor intended to reintroduce the $14.7 million request at a future council meeting to force Rodrick and Lamb’s hand in the ongoing political theater surrounding the June primary election between Rodrick and Hill.
That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday.
After the meeting, Hill flipped. He called Rodrick and ‘con man’ and went on a tirade about Rodrick. A member of Hill’s Republicans of Toms River even attacked Rodrick’s family and children during the meeting.
The matter will be brought to a final vote at the next council meeting and the public will be allowed to speak on the matter.