Toms River School Board Rejects Auditor Bid Over Campaign Donation to Board Member

Posted by
1 min read
March 29, 2017

The Toms River School Board on Tuesday night decided not to award a contract to an auditor who made political campaign donations to several board members despite that auditor having the lowest qualified bid.

According to a report in the Asbury Park Press today, the politically connected firm of Holman, Frenia, Allison out of Toms River submitted a bid $20,000 less than the firm chosen, but the majority of board members chose to award the contract to Livingston based Wiss & Company.

Board Republicans Daniel Leonard, Joe Nardini and Christopher Raimann voted against the contract award to Wiss & Co.

It turns out, the main dissenter, newly elected board member Leonard received a $1,000 campaign donation from a political action committee, NJ Citizens for Conservatism, which Holman donated $2,200 to.

The board voted 6-3 in favor of retaining Wiss & Co., despite Leonard’s objection in favor of his indirect campaign donor.    Leonard raise approximately $5,800 during the campaign, with the bulk of his contributions coming from politically connected benefactors.

 

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

Facebook

Don't Miss