How outgoing Toms River mayor donated $160K for scholarships for four local high schools

TOMS RIVER - When he was first elected to the Township Council back in 2003, Toms River Mayor Maurice B. "Mo" Hill Jr. made a vow.

He would donate his $8,900 yearly salary to students at Toms River's four high schools: Toms River High Schools East, North and South and Donovan Catholic. After taxes, he said, the salary was slightly under $8,000.

"Two thousand per school, a thousand for a male, a thousand for a female," Hill said of his annual donations for scholarships at the schools, which he made anonymously for many years. "I did that faithfully for 20 years." In total, Hill said, he's contributed $160,000 for scholarships for township students.

Hill, a retired dentist and U.S. Navy rear admiral, discussed his contributions to Toms River at his final council meeting as mayor Dec. 19. He said he will no longer be making the donations as he leaves office, but said that 160 students have benefited from his contributions.

Hill, who was elected mayor in 2019, will finish his four-year term on Dec. 31. Councilman Daniel Rodrick, who defeated Hill and two others in a contentious Republican primary in June and then won the November general election with more than two-thirds of the vote, will take over as mayor when he is sworn in Jan. 1. The township's organization meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. that day; new GOP council members Craig Coleman, Thomas Nivison and Lynn O'Toole, will also be sworn in that day.

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Hill and his running mates — Council President Matt Lotano, Vice President Kevin M. Geoghegan and Councilman Josh Kopp, who also all lost in the primary — all spoke about their time in office during a sometimes emotional farewell meeting. The meeting lacked the acrimony often seen on the dais in recent years, as Rodrick, and sometimes Councilman Justin Lamb, criticized the policies of the Hill administration.

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"I just want to recognize and thank Mayor Mo Hill on his selfless service to this township for over 20 years and his service to the nation," Lamb said. "While we had our disagreements, I wanted to recognize the selfless dedication."

Rodrick did not comment but did later join in a standing ovation for Hill.

Hill, 75, detailed his administration's accomplishments, including purchasing about 100 acres of open space, refurbishing town hall, maintaining a stable municipal tax rate for three years, and helping to shepherd the township through the COVID lockdown and a controversial revaluation ordered by Ocean County.

"The township is in a much better financial situation that it was four years ago," he said.

He noted that Toms River had also opened a skate park and dog park and built eight pickleball courts, reduced payroll by $2 million by consolidating departments and negotiated eight union contracts in-house to save money. Hill also praised former Planner Dave Roberts' work to bring a new, 68,000-square-foot Veterans Administration outpatient clinic to Toms River.

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The clinic, being built off Hooper Avenue, is expected to open next year.

The township also faced several obstacles during Hill's tenure, including losing a lengthy tax appeal with BASF, owner of the former Ciba-Geigy Superfund site, which required Toms River to pay the company more than $17 million, and reaching a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice that reduced acreage requirements for houses of worship here from 10 to two acres.

Rodrick was the only council member to vote against the settlement, arguing the township should have fought the feds in court. Toms River's agreement to change its zoning on March 10, 2021, settled a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department on that same date.

The lawsuit alleged that Toms River's zoning code placed unreasonable limits on where religious assemblies and institutions may locate, substantially burdened religious exercise, and treated religious assemblies and institutions on less than equal terms with nonreligious assemblies and institutions.

Hill noted that the township was advised by its lawyers, including Marcie Hamilton, an expert in the Religious Land-Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, that Toms River was going to lose the case if it did not settle.

"We were told that were going to lose the case and it was going to cost between $10 and $20 million, given the size of the town," he said of the likely federal fines.

Hill said he's likely to continue his weekly appearances at the township's free food distribution at the Presbyterian Church of Toms River, which started during the pandemic and has continued for nearly four years.

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"I'm a resident of Toms RIver and I'm not going anywhere," Hill said. "My family lives here. I was born in Jersey. I'll die in Jersey." He received a standing ovation from the council, township employees and audience members.

Hill presented a painting of town hall by artist Virginia Perle to Kopp and Lotano. The watercolor painting is traditionally given to outgoing council members: Hill and Geoghegan had previously received one.

"I feel like we are leaving the town in a lot better shape than it was when we got here," Lotano said.

"I don't look at this transition as an end for us. It's just moving on to another chapter of life in this township," Geoghegan said, after praising the work of the township's department heads and employees.

After praising Hill's leadership and thanking his family, Kopp stated his philosophy: "Do what you know is right. Protect those who mean the most to you. … Life is short and tomorrow is never promised."

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns. She's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle,  jmikle@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Outgoing Toms River mayor's pay helped 160 students afford college