JACKSON TOWNSHIP, NJ – Political tensions inside Jackson Township’s municipal government have turned personal, as Mayor Jennifer Kuhn claimed her ongoing feud with Councilman Chris Pollak cost her a lucrative real estate commission worth at least $30,000.
Kuhn, who is also the broker of record for eXp Realty, said she was dismissed from a business deal in December after Pollak publicly linked her to a township developer in a viral social media video.
The mayor said the developer, whom she declined to identify, told her the controversy made it impossible to move forward.
“I lost a $30,000 commission because of that [expletive],” Kuhn told Shore News Network. “He’s a [expletive] [expletive]!”
The clash between Kuhn and Pollak continued during a December roundtable on Jackson’s affordable housing obligations under its Fair Share Housing agreement, which requires construction of roughly 1,000 additional units. Pollak questioned whether certain developers tied to local officials were benefiting from zoning and planning decisions connected to those projects.
Nearly all of the developers granted inclusion into the township’s Fair Share Housing Agreement were developers with ties to Kuhn, Burnstein, or a Political Action Committee (PAC) operated by Burnstein’s wife.
Political fallout and development disputes
At the meeting, Pollak asked for a list of developers associated with each housing project—requests that he said went unanswered. He later suggested on social media that connections between township leaders and private developers warranted closer scrutiny, triggering public debate and backlash.
Days after the video gained traction online, Kuhn told Shore News Network that her developer client severed ties.
The mayor accused Pollak of interfering with her livelihood, saying his political attacks had crossed into personal territory.
- Mayor Jennifer Kuhn says she lost a $30,000 real estate commission
- Councilman Chris Pollak questioned ties between officials and developers
- Feud intensifies ahead of Jackson Township’s upcoming election season
As Jackson’s campaign season heats up, the mayor’s real estate work and development dealings are likely to remain under the spotlight. Political observers and township watchdogs have begun probing her financial relationships with local builders, foreclosure firms, and land developers, suggesting the issue could become a central flashpoint in the months ahead.
Jackson political rift deepens as real estate questions loom over mayor’s offic e