TOMS RIVER, NJ – Toms River Councilman Dan Rodrick, an outspoken anti-development candidate who is challenging Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill in the June 6 GOP primary election, has some words of advice for Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore.
On Tuesday, Gilmore called for a wide condemnation of Rodrick by county and state elected officials over Rodrick’s opposition to overdevelopment in Toms River, calling it ‘Lakewood style development’.
“The actions by Mo Hill and Dan Rodrick are disgraceful and have no place in our party,” Gilmore, the chairman of the Ocean County GOP, said. “We have seen this before when others have tried to divide the residents of our county using the same hateful rhetoric… I am calling on every Republican – commissioners, legislators, and local leaders alike – to join me in condemning this abhorrent behavior.”
Rodrick has defended his use of the term ‘Lakewood style development’, saying it represents a disregard for zoning laws and allows for crowded and nonconforming overdevelopment that includes large high-density multi-family housing complexes, hi-rise buildings in downtown Toms River and the razing of all available open space for dense housing developments.
“Lakewood-style development means cramming huge buildings, massive apartment buildings, and anything else that fits on any available piece of land, with complete disregard to zoning laws,” Rodrick responded today. “Toms River residents don’t want that, but Chairman Gilmore does. He works for and with developers who want to build on every available piece of land in our town, including Ciba Geigy. He’s a lobbyist for the development industry; of course, he and his candidate Geri Ambrosio want Lakewood-style development in Toms River; it’s how he’s trying to make a living these days.”
Rodrick criticized Gilmore over multiple federal criminal convictions that included lying on a bank loan application and failing to pay the IRS large sums of payroll taxes he collected from employees at his now-defunct law firm Gilmore and Monahan.
Gilmore was convicted and sentenced to 364 days in federal prison but managed to get a pardon from President Donald J. Trump in his last day in the White House before he served a day of his federal prison sentence.
“What the Ocean County GOP should be condemning is the chairman’s reckless and illegal behavior of not paying your taxes,” Rodrick added. “This man still owes millions of dollars to the federal government, and has a federal lien on his exclusive waterfront home. Now he is trying to push his candidate, Geri Ambrosio, so she can funnel more contracts his way so he can start to dig himself and his family out of the financial hole he put them in. This guy should be nowhere near township government, and neither should his candidate, Geri Ambrosio.”
Rodrick says he is representing the law-abiding citizens of Toms River that work hard, pay their taxes and their bills, and don’t want to see the town become a city.
On Tuesday, Gilmore said Rodrick can just as easily use the word ‘overdevelopment’ instead of prefixing it with ‘Lakewood style’.
“George represents overdevelopment and overdeveloped across the state of New Jersey. He’s building a 10-story tower in Ocean County,” Rodrick said. “He’s upset because I stand against his plans to make millions off of overdeveloping our beautiful town, and he’s obviously got a different agenda than the everyday resident of Toms River. He works for the same developers we’re trying to stop here in Toms River. He’s the last person I would use as a moral compass in this election.”
Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill says his message isn’t anti-semitic, he’s just trying to pander for votes and he is a good friend to the growing Orthodox Jewish community in Toms River.
“Here’s my dilemma: How do I address the fears and frustrations of some residents about the growth of the Orthodox Jewish community without offending some members of the Orthodox Jewish community? So far, my attempts at bridging the gap without upsetting or offending anyone on all sides have not been successful,” Hill said. “In my defense, I am the only candidate for mayor who is attempting to bridge the gap. Each of my opponents has demonstrated their intention to exploit the bigotry and frustration for their own political gain.”
Hill is hoping to win back supporters who oppose his policies such as building high-density apartments in Downtown Toms River and reducing acreage requirements for houses of worship. Hill became mayor in 2019 by garnering the vote of the growing community. Now, he realizes that vote alone won’t be enough to get him re-elected in June.