TOMS RIVER – A police promotion ordinance approved by the Township Council on January 14 was immediately vetoed by Mayor Daniel Rodrick, stopping a measure that would have allowed the extension of an existing promotional list and sharpening disagreement over how promotions should be handled.
The ordinance, when it was adopted, would have given the council authority to extend a police promotional list by up to one year through a separate resolution. Supporters said the measure was intended to prevent delays while new promotional exams are prepared. Opponents argued the list had already expired and that extending it would unfairly delay testing for officers who recently became eligible to compete for promotion.
The ordinance passed on a 4–3 vote, a split that reflects differing alliances on the governing body. Council President David Ciccozzi, Thomas Nivison, Robert Bianchini, and Clinton Bradley voted in favor. Council members Craig Coleman, Lynne O’Toole, and Harry Aber, who are aligned with Mayor Daniel Rodrick, voted against the measure.
Ciccozzi said the goal was to avoid a lengthy delay in filling available supervisory positions. “The purpose of not renewing this list is that would take almost a year to get another test out,” Ciccozzi said. “So, the mayor wants to delay it and not appoint anybody for another year.”
In an interview, Rodrick denied that it would take a year for a new test and list. He said he believes the effort to extend the list may be tied to political considerations.
“I know this is only being done for the benefit of one person out of these two,” Rodrick said. “I don’t know which one it is, and I don’t want to know which one it is, because I don’t want my judgment cloudy on anything.”
Bradley, who supported the ordinance, said it was designed to protect morale and ensure officers who have already invested time preparing for promotional exams are not left without advancement opportunities.
“This ordinance is to allow the council power, via resolution, to extend the police promotion list up to one year,” Bradley said. “This ordinance does not allow the list to be extended without council approval.”
Bradley warned that allowing a list to expire without promotions can discourage officers and lead to attrition. “When we ask our officers to study and take these tests, we should be doing everything in our power to reward their time and efforts with the possibility of promotion,” he said. “You’re asking these officers to study for an exam and then not even promote anyone.”
Coleman, who voted against the ordinance, said the expiration of the list should have triggered a new testing process rather than an extension. He noted that only two officers remained on the old list and that both were ranked at the bottom.
“Since the old list has expired, it only seems fair that all officers who meet the requirements should have the opportunity to take the new test,” Coleman said.
Coleman said approximately 15 sergeants are currently eligible to test for lieutenant and should not be blocked from competing. He added that the community expects promotions to be awarded through an open and competitive process.
Chief: Promotions Can Happen Without Extending Lists
Police Chief Guy Maire also opposed extending the list, telling council members the debate blurred two separate processes. “We’re actually talking about two separate issues here,” Maire said. “One is extending the list. The other is making promotions.”
Maire explained that promotions can continue even when a list expires, through acting appointments that preserve leadership continuity without delaying testing.
“There is a mechanism in place when a list expires or when it’s exhausted,” he said. “If today I was told to promote somebody, I can promote whoever was the highest person on that list into an acting position and be paid accordingly.”
Addressing the lieutenant’s list, Maire said the highest-ranked sergeant from the expired list could be promoted to Acting Lieutenant and paid at that rank until a new exam is administered.
“The sergeant that scored number one on the list that expired at the end of December could be promoted to Acting Lieutenant,” Maire said. “That particular Acting Lieutenant would then have to take the next promotional process.”
Maire said extending the list would unnecessarily delay testing for officers who are ready to compete. “I do not support extending the list,” he said. “There are people waiting to take the next promotional exam. They should be afforded the opportunity to take that exam.”
Rodrick and Maire both said the impact of extending the list would be far-reaching. According to the mayor, delaying the promotional process would affect more than 100 officers across multiple ranks, including approximately 88 eligible to test for sergeant, 75 eligible for detective, and 15 eligible to test for lieutenant.
Rodrick said those officers would be required to wait an additional year to take their exams if the list were extended, even though the remaining officers on the expired list would still be eligible to compete in a new testing cycle.
Mayor: Veto Consistent With Prior Concerns
The mayor said his veto was consistent with concerns he raised earlier in a December 31 memo sent to all members of the police department about efforts to extend promotional lists beyond their original terms.
In the memo, Rodrick wrote that extending the list would be “fundamentally unfair” to officers who have become newly eligible to test for promotion and would disproportionately benefit those ranked lowest on existing lists while delaying higher-scoring officers.
Rodrick characterized the promotional system as competitive by design and said extending lists undermines that principle.
“Competition fosters a culture of excellence,” Rodrick wrote in his memo, adding that any attempt to extend lists “for the benefit of a few at the expense of many” would be vetoed.
The memo also confirmed that officers remaining on current lists would still be eligible to take future promotional exams and stated that Rodrick authorized Chief Maire to move forward with testing for all expiring lists.
Because the ordinance was vetoed, it will not take effect unless the council overrides the decision with a supermajority vote. This is unlikely given the 4-3 split on the council. Until then, the dispute highlights deeper divisions over how police promotions should be handled, how long officers should wait for advancement opportunities, and whether political considerations should play any role in the process.
