TOMS RIVER, N.J. – Commissioners of the Toms River Municipal Utilities Authority voted last week to continue receiving full taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits, despite working an average of just one hour per month.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from Mayor Dan Rodrick, who has called the practice a “taxpayer-funded political patronage pit” and vowed to end it.
At the December 16 meeting, the MUA’s board approved its 2026 budget, which includes allocations to maintain free medical coverage for its politically appointed members. The benefits, valued at about $43,600 annually for a family of four, are provided to commissioners who attend a single monthly meeting typically lasting between 30 minutes and an hour and a half.
Rodrick said the arrangement is emblematic of the waste he’s sought to eliminate since taking office. “Taxpayers should not be footing the bill for healthcare benefits of political appointees who show up once a month,” he said, calling on the Township Council to end the program or dissolve the authority entirely.
According to public records, the commissioners’ benefits equate to roughly $4,500 in compensation per meeting—making them among the highest-paid part-time public officials in Ocean County. Most other local MUAs ended free healthcare for commissioners years ago, following reforms initiated under former Governor Chris Christie.
Among those receiving the benefits are Phillip Brilliant, Ocean County Commissioner-Elect Schmuel “Sam” Ellenbogen, Tariq Siddiqui, and Katerina Sevastakis.
Brilliant, who leads the failing campaign to recall Rodrick, receives family healthcare coverage as part of his MUA appointment. Records show he was appointed by former Mayor Maurice Hill shortly after his company, Brilliant Environmental Services, filed for bankruptcy protection.
Rodrick’s effort to eliminate the MUA entirely was blocked last month by the Township Council, a move he said cost residents millions in potential savings. He argued that merging the MUA with the township’s sewer department would have saved $2.5 million immediately and reduced long-term utility costs.
The mayor has also raised concerns about the MUA’s political connections, citing that the agency’s engineering contract is held by the firm of Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore. Rodrick claimed those ties have helped sustain what he calls a “redundant and self-serving authority.”
Despite the criticism, the MUA continues to operate independently, overseeing the township’s sanitary sewer systems and managing an annual budget of roughly $22 million—about a quarter of Toms River’s total revenue. Executive Director Bernard Rutkowski earns $159,800 annually, while Chief Financial Officer Michael Lee receives $139,700, in addition to bonuses and benefits.
Rodrick praised Council members Craig Coleman, Lynne O’Toole, and William Byrne for supporting his reform plan and said he would continue pushing for greater transparency and efficiency.
“If they aren’t going to dissolve the MUA,” he said, “they need to immediately end free benefits to politically connected folks who just show up for one hour a month.”
