(TOMS RIVER, N.J.) --- Tensions rose between the township council and the mayor after a disagreement over whether to add more affordable housing.
In a 3-4 vote, the Toms River Township Council denied approval to add more affordable housing in the Jamestowne Village Apartments.
(Photo: Jamestown Village Apartments/Credit: Apartments.com)
Councilman Craig Coleman and Harry Aber moved to approve the ordinance, joined by Councilwoman Lynn O’Toole. Councilman Clinton Bradley expressed concern about further overpopulation of Jamestowne Village Apartments.
“I’m not going to have this town get any more destroyed than it already is,” Bradley said.
Bradley noted that the plan to add more affordable housing in that area is not a “conducive” plan. Then he explained that if the appellate court ruled against allowing more houses to be built in that location, the city council should follow suit.
(Photo: Toms River Councilman Clinton Bradley/ Credit: Ballot Ready)
Bradley did not approve the ordinance to go into effect. Councilman Robert Bianchini clearly stated that, when he was on the zoning board, he voted no on this project and, with that, he would be consistent and vote no on the ordinance. Council Vice President Thomas Nivison did not comment and voted against approving the ordinance.
Lastly, Council President David Ciccozzi began by saying that a couple of months ago, he had voted yes on the ordinance, but he “didn’t like it at all,” and that he did not “have all of the information back then.”
He then explained that this ordinance is “100% on the mayor; he negotiated this.” With that, he decided to vote no on this ordinance.
In response, Rodrick said that if the council was purposely throwing away these new units to “try and force the tower project,” then he would veto everything that was voted on during the meeting.
Rodrick claimed that they would begin with a single ordinance for everything.
“It’ll all be vetoed, and we’ll come back next time,” Rodrick said, “so it’s your call how you want to proceed.”
“We don’t like to be threatened,” Ciccozzi said to Rodrick. Ciccozzi then told Rodrick that he was a guest at the meeting and asked him to leave.
Rodrick stated that he was a “statuto participant” and would not be leaving. Later in the meeting, Rodrick raised a question about Ciccozzi’s repeated statements that he was not involved in planning the ordinances.
(Photo: Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick/Credit: Toms River Township)
Rodrick stated that, if the public would like, he could give them “the call record, the text log or the email log.” Then, Ciccozzi admitted to not answering Rodrick’s calls, in which Rodrick said, “You folks never answer.”
“You never answer, and then you come here… and say I don’t include you,” Rodrick said, “It is shameful, and it is a dereliction of your duty and you are selling out our town.”
This is the third report of three from this meeting; the first was released on Mon. August 3, and the second on Wed. August 5.
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