06/02/2026
This is interesting..
The Mayor's Lawsuit Against the Prosecutor's Office and the State Attorney General’s Office: A Distraction Disguised as Governance
By Paul C. Williams
NJ Law Politics and Government | June 1, 2026
The Lawsuit in a Nutshell
On May 28, 2026, the Township of Toms River, Mayor Daniel Rodrick, and former Business Administrator Jonathan Salonis filed a Verified Complaint against the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer, and the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.
The lawsuit seeks a court order declaring that:
The Township Administration shall have full administrative access to the Toms River Police Department's page
The Business Administrator (or Mayor) shall be provided access to a general police dispatch radio
OCPO must refrain from interfering in minor personnel investigations unless they involve serious criminal or administrative misconduct
At first glance, this appears to be a legitimate dispute about local control versus prosecutorial oversight.
But nothing in Toms River is as simple as it first appears.
What the Complaint Says
The complaint alleges that OCPO has repeatedly interfered with the Township's lawful authority over its own police department:
page (Lawsuit Paragraphs 24-35): After the Township eliminated the Police Department's Public Information Officer position and sought to consolidate its functions with the Township's PIO, OCPO allegedly directed then-Chief Mitch Little to deny the Administration access to the TRPD page. OCPO cited concerns about R.P.C. 3.8 (prosecutors' ethical duties to avoid prejudicing defendants' rights). Eventually, limited access was granted — then revoked.
Police Radio (Lawsuit Paragraphs 36-43): When Business Administrator Jonathan Salonis requested access to a general police dispatch radio to oversee police operations, Acting Chief Peter Sundack denied the request, citing an OCPO opinion that only sworn personnel should have such access. The complaint notes that numerous non-sworn personnel (EMS, fire officials, and even a private community leader) have such radios. OCPO never responded to the Township's follow-up correspondence.
Hiring Qualifications (Lawsuit Paragraphs 44-48): When the Township proposed amending police hiring qualifications to attract more candidates, Prosecutor Billhimer sent an unsolicited letter opposing the changes — and released it to the press before the Council voted.
Personnel Investigation (Lawsuit Paragraphs 49-55): When the Administration was removed as a moderator of the TRPD page and Chief Guy Maire began asking questions, OCPO sent a letter "superseding" the investigation under the Attorney General's Internal Affairs Policy and Procedures — without ever determining whether a formal investigation actually existed.
What the Complaint Does Not Say
The complaint is a carefully crafted legal document. It tells a story of a reform administration blocked at every turn by an overreaching prosecutor's office.
But the complaint omits context that would complicate that narrative — context that the public deserves to know.
The Messina Firing
In April 2024, former TRPD Public Information Officer Jillian Messina filed a lawsuit against Mayor Rodrick and the Township Council. The complaint alleges that Rodrick fired Messina to retaliate against her father, Joseph Nardini — a school board member and Rodrick's political enemy.
The Messina complaint includes a sworn affidavit from then-Chief Mitch Little stating that Rodrick's own PIO, Phil Stilton, told him that "Mayor Rodrick admitted to him that he fired Ms. Messina to get back at her father... and to hurt her, Nardini, the Police Department, and myself (the Chief)."
The OCPO lawsuit does not mention the Messina case. It does not mention that the Police Department's PIO was fired under circumstances that a Superior Court judge may ultimately find were retaliatory.
The Stilton Connection
The OCPO lawsuit mentions that former Chief Little turned to OCPO for guidance after the Administration demanded access to the TRPD page. The complaint suggests this was inappropriate.
But the complaint does not mention that the Administration's own PIO — Phil Stilton, the same person who allegedly told Chief Little about Rodrick's revenge motive — was hired at 89,999,whileMessinawaspaid58,000 after five years of service.
Nor does the complaint mention that Stilton's news outlet, Shore News Network, is currently suing the Township Council for First Amendment retaliation after the Council refused to pay approximately $20,000 in advertising invoices — a vote that took place after the Township's own attorney warned the Council it would be illegal.
The Pattern of Personnel Chaos
The OCPO lawsuit seeks to establish the Business Administrator as the "appropriate authority" over the police department. But the complaint does not mention that the Rodrick administration has cycled through multiple Business Administrators in just over two years — including two who resigned within weeks of being appointed.
Nor does the complaint mention that the current Acting Business Administrator, Warren Chabot, is also the Mayor's Chief of Staff — a consolidation of power that raises its own questions about oversight.
The Missing Videos
The OCPO lawsuit seeks access to police communications. But the complaint does not mention that the Township's own YouTube channel — where Council meetings have been live-streamed for years — has been stripped of most videos from 2025 and all videos from 2026.
The live feed of the March 11, 2026 Council meeting — the night of the affordable housing chaos, the screaming, the "Coward!" insult — was cut shortly after Rodrick left the meeting, just as public comments were about to begin.
The Administration wants access to police radios and pages. But it has repeatedly cut off public access to its own meetings.
The Mayor Who Would Be King
The OCPO lawsuit is not filed in a vacuum. It is the latest move in a decade-long pattern of behavior by Mayor Daniel Rodrick.
Full disclosure: I have known Dan Rodrick for approximately ten years. I first met him in 2016 when I became affiliated with the Democratic Party leadership in Ocean County. At that time, Rodrick was a Democratic candidate for the Toms River Council. I worked on his campaign. I spent considerable time at his home. I have emails, text messages, and call records documenting this relationship.
Rodrick publicly denies this. He points to my criminal history — which I have never hidden — to discredit me.
I also recorded a portion of a call with Rodrick in 2024, when he asked for my support for an ordinance that was adverse to the police department. That recording is evidence in the Messina lawsuit, in which I am a fact witness.
I disclose this not to claim impartiality — I am not impartial. I have watched Rodrick operate for a decade. I have seen him attack police chiefs, decimate the animal shelter, eviscerate code enforcement, and drive out qualified appointees within months of their hiring. I have seen him scream "Coward!" at a Council member, call others "morons" and "f---ing idiots," and cut the live feed when the public was about to speak.
I am biased because I know him. But my bias does not make my reporting false. The documents, the videos, the court filings, and the public record speak for themselves.
The Strategic Lawsuit
Knowing Rodrick, the OCPO lawsuit strikes me as strategic maneuvering — not a good-faith effort to clarify oversight boundaries.
Consider the timing. The Messina lawsuit was filed in April 2024. The OCPO lawsuit was filed in May 2025 — as the Messina case was heating up. Rodrick is already campaigning for reelection in 2028. A lawsuit against the Prosecutor's Office allows him to frame himself as the reformer fighting the establishment, rather than the mayor who fired a popular PIO to punish her father.
The OCPO lawsuit is not about governance. It is about distraction.
Moreover, the relief sought is, with respect, ridiculous. The Mayor's Administration does not need full administrative access to the Police Department's page. The Business Administrator does not need a police dispatch radio. These are not tools of oversight. They are tools of control.
The OCPO's concerns about R.P.C. 3.8 — the ethical duty to avoid prejudicing defendants' rights — are legitimate. A prosecutor's office has a constitutional obligation to control what gets posted about pending criminal cases. The Township's offer to let the Chief or OCPO provide content was reasonable. A court is unlikely to strip a prosecutor of that oversight entirely.
The radio access claim is stronger — the Business Administrator is statutorily the "appropriate authority" under N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118, and denying a basic management tool arguably frustrates that duty. But the complaint's allegation that a private community leader received a $6,000 radio without the Administration's knowledge is not evidence of OCPO overreach. It is evidence of poor internal communication.
The OCPO lawsuit may succeed on some claims. But it will not change the underlying reality: Toms River's government is broken, and a lawsuit against the Prosecutor's Office will not fix it.
What the OCPO Lawsuit Really Reveals
The OCPO lawsuit reveals that Mayor Rodrick views conflict as a tool, not a problem. He is suing the very agency that might investigate whether his personnel decisions — including the hiring of a convicted stalker as Assistant Business Administrator — are lawful.
The lawsuit is not about pages or radios. It is about insulating the administration from oversight.
The OCPO lawsuit also reveals that Rodrick's administration has no coherent strategy for police oversight. They want access to social media and radios, but they have prohibited police from participating in community outreach — including the Junior Police Camp, a beloved program that cost the Township nothing.
You cannot claim to be overseeing the police department while simultaneously dismantling its ability to engage with the community.
What Happens Next
The OCPO lawsuit is in its early stages. The defendants will likely file motions to dismiss. The Township will have to defend its claims. The court will eventually rule.
But regardless of the outcome, the underlying dysfunction will remain.
The Council will still be fighting the Mayor. The police department will still be understaffed. The affordable housing plan will still be non-compliant. The videos will still be missing. The animal shelter will still be closed.
A court order granting the Township access to a page will not fix any of that.
The Bottom Line
The OCPO lawsuit is not about good governance. It is about a mayor who cannot work with his own Council, cannot retain qualified personnel, cannot tell the truth about a judicial extension, and cannot stop screaming at anyone who questions him.
The lawsuit is a distraction. The real story is what Rodrick does when the cameras are off: the threats, the lies, the interference, the destruction.
I have watched him for a decade. I have the emails. I have the texts. I have the recording.
The public deserves better. And they deserve to know who they are dealing with.
Paul C. Williams is the founder of NJ Law Politics and Government. His reporting is supported by documents, videos, court filings, and the public record.
NJ Law Politics and Government is a voluntary, uncompensated project. No ads. No sponsors. Just the public's business, for the public.
"The Mayor is suing the Prosecutor's Office. But what the lawsuit doesn't tell you could fill a book. Read the full analysis. Then tell me: is this governance or a distraction?"
