Toms River municipal building. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Toms River’s mayor said he will fight the appointment of a prominent Ocean County political figure to an unadvertised job in the township clerk’s office, as well as the hiring of a second attorney to represent the council against the mayor himself.
Mayor Daniel Rodrick took aim at the prospective appointment of Noriko Kowalewski to a new job the township council is poised to create at a council meeting scheduled for Wednesday. Kowalewski, 58, is a prominent figure in Ocean County Republican party circles, having served as a staffer with former U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur, a stint in Berkeley Township municipal government, and chair of the Ocean County Federation of Republican Women. The council is set to pass a resolution creating the title of “Records Manager-Council Liaison” within the township clerk’s office, and appointing Kowalewski to the position at a salary of $73,000 per year with benefits.
In Toms River’s form of government, the mayor controls the vast majority of appointments, however the council is tasked with appointing the township clerk. The council majority, which opposes Rodrick, a fellow Republican, argues in the resolution that would create the position that it would flow from the appointment of the clerk and deputy clerk, and therefore be under their control. Rodrick vowed to oppose the creation of the position, which he termed a patronage hiring for a “no show” job.
Toms River’s current clerk and deputy clerk were appointed by the previous council and are in the middle of their respective terms and cannot be ousted. The job description in the resolution states the position will “bridge the communication gap between the legislative body, the Office of the Municipal Clerk, and the residents of Toms River and assist in preparation of council meetings.” Duties will include “preparation for council meetings and agenda meetings, attendance of town-related community events as requested by council president or council majority, constituent services, public relations, and community outreach to ensure the council remains responsive to the needs of the public.”
Unlike ordinances, mayors cannot veto the passage of resolution under the Faulkner Act, which lays out the functioning of municipal government. But Rodrick said he would still work to block the hiring, which he said was spurred by her political support for the GOP sect that controls the council as of Jan. 1.
“They are rewarding her for that even though she’s number of a small number of people who are within their political circle,” he said. “If it’s not a no-show job, it’s at least a no-work job. We don’t have a need there. What is this person going to do?”
The new council majority of four out of seven members has already locked horns with Rodrick, seeking to introduce an ordinance modifying police department hiring practices and passing new regulations on conduct at council meetings, which prohibits the mayor from physically leaving the premises while the meeting are in progress under penalty of law. The agenda for Wednesday’s meeting also includes a resolution that would terminate an agreement with Ocean County to take over operations of the municipal animal shelter. The council majority signaled that the clerk’s office may be more aligned with Rodrick, therefore a liaison is required to – as the resolution states – “bridge the gap.”
Her duties would also include “performing other related duties as necessary to support the legislative and representative functions of the township council.” The resolution directs the business administrator – appointed by Rodrick – to effectuate the creation of the position by Feb. 16, 2026, however it does not call for the position to be advertised or interviews to be conducted. Rather, the same resolution directly orders the hiring of Kowalewski.
Rodrick said Tuesday that he will not “onboard” Kowalewski to the township’s employment rolls, nor will he sign required paperwork authorizing her employment.
The legal action that could result from the dispute over the potential hiring – as well as litigation that is already expected over the council meeting rules passed by the new majority – spills over into a second resolution on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting that would see the hiring of an attorney to specifically represent the council. That resolution cites a conflict of interest between the township attorney – who would conceivably represent Rodrick’s position – and the council itself. It directs the township’s business administrator to solicit proposals from attorneys to represent the council, citing “an immediate and irreconcilable conflict of interest for the township attorney, disqualifying the Department of Law from advising or representing the council.”
Such a hiring is not unprecedented. After Democrats took control of the Brick Township council in 2012, similar clashes erupted between the new majority and then-mayor Stephen C. Acropolis. The Democrats hired an attorney to represent their interests, while the township attorney at the time, Jean L. Cipriani, continued to represent the interests of the administration and township as a whole. It is unclear whether the council’s attorney in Brick, at the time, was paid via taxpayer funding.
The resolution sets a Jan. 26, 2026 deadline for responses to the request for proposals, with an award expected at the Jan. 28, 2026 meeting.
“All proposals received shall be reviewed by the township council for a final determination and award of contract by subsequent resolution given the inherent conflict created by the actions of the mayor,” the resolution states.
Rodrick said he would fight the hiring of a second attorney as well, but did not specify any specific strategy on how he would do so.
The council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. at the township municipal complex on Washington Street.
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