New Toms River mayor faces blowback for proposing to hire EMTs by cutting police jobs

TOMS RIVER - Many in Toms River would agree that the emergency medical services need more EMTs and ambulances. But the way Mayor Daniel Rodrick has chosen to solve the problem — by cutting two captains' jobs and one public relations job from the township's police department — has some residents up in arms.

The Township Council introduced an ordinance Jan. 18 that will permanently cut the number of captains' positions from three to one. The cuts will be made through attrition: two captains are slated to retire by June. Rodrick said that cutting the captains' jobs will save more than $700,000 in salaries and benefits, nearly enough to fund the eight emergency medical technicians the township plans to hire.

Police captains make a $242,000 base salary, and also receive health insurance and payments toward their retirement pensions, Rodrick said. The ordinance will also reduce the number of officers from 113 to 112.

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He said the township faces a $3.5 million budget shortfall this year, after three straight years with no increase in the municipal purposes tax rate. A public hearing on the police ordinance is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 31 in town hall, 33 Washington St.

"This will put an additional ambulance on the road, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year," the mayor said. "This is a matter of life and death. This is not an easy decision but we have begun the process." He said residents sometimes wait up to half an hour for an ambulance to arrive.

The problem is particularly acute in the township's barrier island communities, where volunteer first aid squads went out of business in the last few years, leaving residents there without a permanent ambulance stationed in the area 24 hours a day.

"I have had two ambulance calls at my house that took over half an hour. That is when we had a first aid squad," Ortley Beach resident Debra Martin said. "… The barrier island Toms River portion, does not have an ambulance squad. … I don't know how to handle the difference in the money, but it needs to happen."

Councilmen James Quinlisk and David Ciccozzi voted against introducing the ordinance cutting the police positions. Quinlisk accused Rodrick and the council majority of "defunding" the police department.

"My vote is absolutely 'no,' Quinlisk said, to loud applause from the crowd. "… You're trying to move money from the first people at every call. Taking away our officers, taking away our captains, it's cutting our nose off to spite our face."

Councilman Justin Lamb called Quinlisk's characterization of the proposed cuts unfair. "It's a reallocation of personnel. It's not defunding the police," Lamb said.

Ron Sermarini, president of the Toms River Fraternal Order of Police, said, "I do believe that we should consider other ways of funding that program without the expense of losing an officer, a supervisor, a leader in the Toms River Police Department. Do we really want to take away from the supervisors and the leaders that oversee these officers? We are not an overstaffed police department. I think you would consider us understaffed."

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Toms River Police Officer Ted Maloney noted that the supervisory officers oversee 162 police officers, 30 to 35 Class III officers, including those who work in the township's schools, as well as about 20 Class I and II officers and park police.

"Those captains do not only supervise our lieutenants, they are in charge of financing, they are in charge of purchasing," Maloney said. "That is what makes the world go around."

Kenneth Thomas, president of Toms River's Policemen's Benevolent Association, also urged Rodrick and the council to reconsider the proposal in a letter, saying "Reducing the number of sworn personnel puts the lives and property of the residents of Toms River at risk."

Jillian Messina, who has served as spokeswoman for the police department for the past seven years, said she typically worked 60 hours a week at her job. Messina's job has been eliminated; she will be replaced by township spokesperson Phil Stilton, who was hired by Rodrick at a salary of $89,000 a year. Stilton will handle both jobs, Rodrick said.

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"I have spent seven years building relationships with this community," Messina said. "I have helped raise over $600,000 along with the (Police) Foundation and the PBA, for our police department, so that you don’t have to find money for things. … I’ve paid for my salary quite a few times sir."

Messina, who was paid slightly under $60,000 a year, helped organize events like the National Night Out, the police Youth Camp, and the annual Vest-a-Cop fundraiser.

"I think that Chief (Mitch) Little and one of the captains is enough to supervise the six lieutenants," Rodrick said. "We all support the police, we all want police on the streets, we all need ambulance drivers. These folks are retiring. … We did not lay off a single police officer. Decisions are tough sometimes. If we have more money in the future, I'd love to put more police on the ground."

The new EMTs will work for the police department as community service officers.

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and writes about issues related to Superstorm Sandy. 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: Toms River wants to hire EMTs, but would cut cop jobs to pay for it