TOMS RIVER, N.J. – Township officials will hold a special meeting on December 30 to ensure employees remain insured after the town’s current coverage with the Ocean County Joint Insurance Fund expires at year’s end.
That insurance fund has been under fire from state officials on the allegations of political corruption and undue political interference and coercion.
That policy is set to renew on January 10th if the council does not meet prior.
Mayor Rodrick wants to cut ties from the politically connected firm with ties to South Jersey Democrat powerbroker George Norcross, former Ocean County GOP Chairman Joseph Buckelew and convicted present Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore.
The newly elected council, which is allied to former Mayor Mo Hill, who contracted witht the fund, is expected to renew the contract with the embattled politically connected firm. Allies to Hill and the council today are working to undermine the attempt to cut ties with that firm.
It is expected that the council majority will oppose Rodrick’s attempt to remove the politically connected firm from the township, which is under state investigation and replace it with a neutral insurance broker.
Toms River’s exit from the fund has sent political and shockwaves to the main financial base of New Jersey’s deep state grip on insurance payments.
The move comes as the state comptroller’s office uncovers widespread violations among several public insurance funds statewide, including the one covering Toms River, operated by Norcross.
According to a letter sent to Township Council members by Business Administrator Jon Salonis, the township’s policy through the Ocean County Joint Insurance Fund is set to expire on December 31. Without immediate action, township employees — including police officers working through New Year’s Eve — could face a temporary lapse in coverage.
Salonis said the township has received premium quotes from an alternative insurance fund not connected to the politically entrenched business that could save roughly $500,000 annually, about 10% of current costs, while maintaining comparable property, casualty, and liability coverage for employees and elected officials.
“If any incidents occur during the brief gap when the town is uninsured, it will leave the township vulnerable,” Salonis warned.
Toms River’s exit from the fund could signal a financial collapse for the fund or higher rates for surrounding towns still beholden to the political players that profit from the multi-million public insurance broker racket in Ocean County.
Rodrick’s actions follows a report released by Acting State Comptroller Kevin Walsh, whose investigation found “a bevy of violations” across three public joint insurance funds, including contract steering, conflicts of interest, and undisclosed relationships among vendors. Walsh’s report alleges that a single private firm — Conner Strong & Buckelew — effectively gained control of New Jersey’s public insurance pools through overlapping leadership and undisclosed ties to a related entity, PERMA.
That is the agency hired by former Mayor Maurice Hill to provide insurance coverage for Toms River which expires on New Year’s Eve.
Mayor Rodrick is hoping the township council will consider breaking ties with the politically connected firm that controls the base of power across Ocean County.
At the state level, Comptroller Walsh said the firms’ intertwined operations allowed them to “write the rules for how a contract will be awarded — then compete for and win that same contract,” calling the arrangement “an unauthorized covert takeover of a core public function by a private entity.” His office has since blocked procurements proposed by two of the implicated insurance funds.
It is how the process works in Ocean County for all of the towns enrolled in the program, leaving little room for any politically affiliated mayors with county jobs, or positions or council people employed by local powerbrokers to leave the fund.
Conner Strong, with an office in Toms River is one of the nation’s largest insurance brokers, was founded by South Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross, who left the firm last year after being indicted on racketeering charges that were later dismissed.
Norcross spokesperson Dan Fee disputed the comptroller’s findings, saying the report was “rife with factual inaccuracies” and compared it to the now-dismissed case filed by Attorney General Matt Platkin.
Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore, a felon convicted on multiple federal tax charges and sentenced to prison for 364 days, is a chief consultant for a Democrat backed lobbying firm owned by Norcross’ brother Phillip.
Toms River’s emergency meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. on December 30 at Town Hall, ahead of the township’s annual reorganization meeting on January 1.
Mayor Rodrick hopes to finalize new insurance arrangements before the current policy lapses at midnight on New Year’s Eve.