Toms River's next mayor warns current leaders not to hire anyone before he takes over

TOMS RIVER - Mayor-elect Daniel Rodrick said it's "imperative" that Mayor Maurice B. "Mo" Hill Jr. and his administration "take no employment actions," advising them not to hire, promote, demote or transfer employees before Rodrick takes office in January.

In emails sent Nov. 17 to Hill, Township Administrator Lou Amoruso, council members, department heads, supervisors and township employees, Rodrick warned that "any changes/increases in department size will be subject to a full review and potential reduction in force after Jan. 1, 2024, when my administration begins."

He also advised Hill's administration not to "enter into discretionary and/or non-emergency contracts."

Rodrick, a GOP councilman, defeated Democrat Ben Giovine to win the mayor's seat almost two weeks ago, garnering almost 70% of the vote and winning every one of Toms River's 63 election districts. His running mates, Craig Coleman, Thomas Nivison and Lynn O'Toole, won four-year council terms.

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His emails were sent after Amoruso, who has served as administrator since September 2020, returned to his former job as public works director, a position for which he said he has tenure under state law. Hill said Amoruso is serving as "interim business administrator," until the end of December and recently returned to the public works director's job previously held by Anthony Benyola.

Hill said that Amoruso took a leave of absence from public works to become administrator, with the understanding he had tenure in the public works job. Amoruso, a former State Police sergeant, had worked in the public works department since 2007 before he became business administrator.

He was hired as deputy director and became public works director in 2008.

"He wanted to project himself if there was a change of administrations and he wanted to go back to the public works job," Hill said.

"I enjoy working for the town," Amoruso said of his reason for returning to his former job. He said state statutes grant tenure to public works directors after five years on the job.

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'You're not the mayor yet'

Hill, who was defeated by Rodrick in the June GOP primary, called Rodrick's emails "a shot across the bow," and said his administration will continue filling openings if necessary to make sure Toms River continues functioning before Rodrick is sworn in.

"No, you're not the mayor yet," Hill said of Rodrick. "If there are openings we need to fill, we are moving forward."

Amoruso said the township has "contractual obligations that are not consistent with what he's (Rodrick) saying."

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Rodrick has been a frequent critic of Hill's administration, and promised during his campaign to "cut the wasteful spending that is driving up taxes" for residents. The township's budget has maintained a stable tax rate for the past three years, but Rodrick has criticized Hill's spending plans, noting this year that the total budget rose from about $134.5 million in 2022 to nearly $140.9 in 2023.

Amoruso receives a $4,964 monthly pension from his State Police job, and was hired as business administrator at a salary of $177,012, which includes longevity pay and a $5,000 bonus he received for not taking health benefits from Toms River.

It's expected Rodrick's administration will bring changes to town hall, including a new business administrator and perhaps new department heads. Under the township's strong mayor-council form of government, the mayor appoints the business administrator and other department heads, with the "advice and consent" of the council.

Previous fight over administrator job

In 2020, eight months after Hill took office, he replaced former Township Administrator Don Guardian with Amoruso. The change happened about three months after Guardian suffered a stroke during a council meeting; after recuperating for several months, he had indicated to Hill and the council that he planned to return to his job.

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Guardian, a gay man, sued the township in March 2021, claiming he was subjected to homophobic slurs and eventually terminated from his job because he refused to condone what he believed were improper actions by Hill and Amoruso.

Chief among those actions was appointing Amoruso as assistant business administrator, a job Guardian said is not permitted for New Jersey towns governed under the Optional Municipal Charter Law, with populations under 300,000. No town in New Jersey has a population over 300,000; Toms River's population in 2022 was estimated at about 98,000 by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Responding for the township, Assistant Township Attorney Anthony Merlino said Hill had the right to appoint his own business administrator and was not obligated to keep Guardian in the administrator's job. Hill and Amoruso have denied using homophobic slurs.

Guardian sued Hill and Amoruso, Township Attorney Gregory P. McGuckin and six of the seven council members -- Rodrick was not named as a defendant in the suit.

The lawsuit is still pending.

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore for nearly 40 years. 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: Incoming Toms River mayor doesn't want any hiring before he takes over