TOMS RIVER, NJ – Toms River Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill’s failed pension legal battle was the matter of discussion Wednesday night at town hall at the Township Council meeting. Hill, who has been under fire for waging a battle for pension benefits he was unqualified for, waged a three-year legal fight against the state of New Jersey.
That fight was funded by Toms River Township and its taxpayers.
Councilman Daniel Rodrick, who is running against Hill in the June 6 Republican primary election, made a motion to have Hill reimburse the township for his legal bills.
The total cost of those legal bills was not disclosed by township officials. Rodrick pointed out that the law in New Jersey specifically states that an elected official enrolled in the PERS pension system would be deemed ineligible to continue in the event that they changed their position.
Hill was enrolled in PERS as a councilman, but when he became mayor, state law prohibited him from collecting a pension under that system. That law was meant to stop rampant abuse of the system in New Jersey.
“The council never voted on this matter; this lawsuit doesn’t benefit the township of Toms River or the people of Toms River, it only benefits, Mayor Mo Hill,” Councilman Daniel Rodrick said. “This law was meant to keep people like Mo Hill from collecting a pension he’s not entitled to. He is a retired dentist, he doesn’t need the money.”
When it came time to vote on the matter, Rodrick and Councilman Justin Lamb were the only yes votes to make Hill pay for his own legal fees.
Hill’s running mates Matt Lotano, Josh Kopp, and Kevin Geoghegan were joined by Hill team members James Quinlisk and David Ciccozzi.
Township Director of Public Law Greg P. McGuckin, who is also running for re-election with Hill defended the town’s lawsuit for Hill.
McGuckin argued that Hill was previously enrolled in PERS as a councilman. The law does allow a grace period of 2017 for being grandfathered into the system, but Hill became mayor two years later, in 2019, making him ineligible for taxpayer-funded pension as mayor.