TOMS RIVER, NJ – The Toms River Township Council majority blocked a motion to formally censure Council Vice President Tom Nivison over allegations that he verbally abused fellow Councilwoman Lynne O’Toole, including allegedly calling her a “fat old c–t” during a closed-door council session. The resolution also urged Nivison to also seek anger management counseling and workplace conduct training.
Council President David Ciccozzi dismissed that resolution and was supported by Councilman Clint Bradley, a U.S. Army veteran, Tom Nivison, owner of Silverton Farms and Robert Bianchini voted to table the resolution, killing it on the council floor.
Instead, those four men then censured Ms. O’Toole for calling into town hall for several consecutive meetings while she was allegedly ill. O’toole was at the council meeting on Wednesday, using a walker and needing assistance from a township employee to walk down a set of stairs.
The anti-Rodrick council called for her to resign, in what appears to be a clear violation of protections offered by the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The resolution, read by Councilman Tom Nivison prior to a contentious council proceeding, accused Nivison of repeated vulgar, degrading and intimidating behavior toward O’Toole and raised concerns about the township’s potential exposure to harassment and discrimination lawsuits.
According to the resolution, Nivison allegedly directed comments at O’Toole that included calling her a “fat old c–t” and telling her to “shut your f—ing mouth.” The document also described an alleged confrontation in which Nivison aggressively pointed a pen toward the councilwoman.
Later in the meeting, Dana Tormollian, a failed candidate for Toms River council and an organizer with the failed effort to recall Mayor Dan Rodrick confronted the mayor about a mailer she had received with her family’s recent tax notice.
“Did you get a job yet? Get a job!” Rodrick told the woman who tried to unseat him from office twice.
The allegations against Nivison,who is known to have violently agressive exchanges at town hall were presented as part of a broader resolution addressing Nivison’s conduct toward municipal officials, employees and members of the public. The transcript provided does not establish whether the council formally adopted the resolution or how individual council members voted.
Council Raises Allegations of Harassment and Intimidation
The resolution also accused Nivison of referring to the township business administrator Jon Salonis as “Johnny Cakes,” a reference to a gay character from the television series The Sopranos. The council document alleged that the nickname was used to ridicule or insinuate the administrator’s sexual orientation, although they know he is not gay.
Council members raised concerns that such conduct, if substantiated, could create a hostile workplace and expose Toms River taxpayers to legal expenses under New Jersey’s anti-discrimination laws.
The resolution went beyond incidents at Town Hall, citing allegations of a confrontation at a local supermarket involving a mother with an infant. It alleged that Nivison became verbally aggressive during an exchange concerning public assistance benefits and the woman’s wedding ring, resulting in a police response.
Another allegation involved a reported road rage confrontation in which Nivison allegedly followed a 17-year-old driver and blocked the teenager’s vehicle in a residential driveway. Shore News Network spoke to the father of that teenager who agreed not to press charges against Nivison at the team.
The resolution also referenced claims of a prior domestic violence arrest and alleged restraining order violations, while explicitly acknowledging that the relevant charges, dates and court dispositions required independent confirmation. It also referenced an alleged police incident where Nivison verbally assaulted a woman while online at Shop Rite. Independent reports confirmed that Nivison ridiculed the woman for usining an EBT card.
Nivison did not dispute any of the allegations during the meeting.
Council Urges Anger Management and Legal Review
The resolution called for Nivison to voluntarily participate in anger management counseling, conflict resolution training and workplace harassment prevention training.
“The council strongly urges Councilman Nivison to voluntarily participate in anger management counseling, conflict resolution training, and workplace harassment prevention training,” the resolution stated.
It also clarified that the recommendation was not intended as a medical finding.
“This recommendation does not constitute a medical diagnosis or a finding of psychiatric illness,” the resolution stated.
The resolution further requested that the township attorney review substantiated incidents involving official municipal business, preserve relevant evidence and recommend steps to reduce potential legal exposure.