TOMS RIVER – The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission issued four complaints against Mayor Daniel Rodrick’s 2023 mayoral election campaign, which the mayor said amount to minor mistakes and his political adversaries are blowing them out of proportion.
The complaint alleges various paperwork errors such as late reporting, filing an incorrect name, and accepting a donation that was too large. They are explained in greater detail later in this article. He listed himself as treasurer of his campaign “Save Toms River CTE Rodrick.”
The Toms River Times reached out to the mayor after the complaint was filed. “I filed all of my required paperwork on time during the campaign, but didn’t realize I had to keep reporting. I never had leftover money before. As soon as they notified me I filed immediately,” he said.
He said the complaints themselves aren’t very serious.
“Right now there are literally hundreds of accounts that are late and/or not filed, and nothing is ever done,” he said.
“This is just another witch hunt by the establishment. In fact, the people from the Mo Hill Gang who put in the complaint didn’t even file in the primary and they are currently late. It’s ridiculous! Yes I was late, everything else will be proven false. The fact that the press knows two days after I found out further demonstrates that this is coming from the political establishment,” he said.
One of those political enemies, resident Phil Brilliant, is a frequent critic of Rodrick. He is organizing a recall petition that currently has more than 3,000 signatures, although they’ll need 18,464 valid signatures by January 25, 2026.
“Rodrick’s administration has been plagued with falsehoods and misleading narratives,” Brilliant said. “He lied about the closure of the Toms River Animal Shelter, misrepresented police hiring numbers, and spread disinformation regarding the prosecution of Silverton EMS by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. These aren’t just political disagreements – they’re deliberate distortions meant to mislead the public.”
The first count (Failure To Report Contributions And Expenditures) lists paperwork filed correctly, but notes that he did not report contributions over $200 in an amount totaling $850.83 and expenditures totaling $32,637.38. For this count, he faces a fine up to $9,800 for each transaction not reported.
The second count (Late Reporting Of Contributions And Expenditures) stated that several reports of contributions and expenditures were filed late: 38 days, 80 days, and 171 days late. For this count, he faces a fine up to $9,800 for each lateness.
The third count (Accepting Excessive Contributions And Failing To Return Within 48 Hours) states that a contributor gave $7,850 over four installments, but Rodrick failed to report one of those payments of $250. The law states that a candidate can’t receive more than $5,200 from an individual contributor. A penalty for that count is not more than $10,000.
The fourth count (Incorrect Reporting Of Contributor) states that the name of a contributor of $773.86 was incorrectly identified. For this count, he faces a fine up to $9,800.
Like all election commission counts, Rodrick can request a hearing.
