Forget about keeping things polite.
A recent town meeting on the New Jersey shore turned into a verbal brawl reminiscent of a reality TV showdown. The event saw council members hurling insults at the mayor, labeling him a “big piece of s—t” and a “despicable sociopath,” while he fired back with his own barrage of wild insults.
The intense bi-monthly meeting in Toms River spiraled into a four-and-a-half-hour, profanity-filled shouting match as Mayor Daniel Rodrick found himself at odds with critics over a controversial affordable housing plan, as reported by NJ.com.
Amid the chaos, Rodrick was heard exclaiming, “This is such a s—t show,” capturing the frenzied atmosphere of the meeting.
Councilman Clinton Bradley, visibly agitated, retorted, “After you made it a s—t show, Dan! Because you’re a big piece of s—t.”
Throughout the meeting, Rodrick frequently interrupted and spoke over his detractors, peppering his speech with insults like “clown,” “coward,” and “crazy lunatic,” while ominously hinting at potential political fallout for his opponents.
Councilman Thomas Nivison then bashed the mayor as a “despicable sociopath” as residents walked up to the microphone out of turn to loudly tell Rodrick to “shut up.”
“Shut the f–k up!” said Paul Williams, a local activist, prompting applause. “Shut up. Shut up!”
The only-in-Jersey local government dust-up came as a March 15 zoning deadline for an affordable housing plan approached and council members disagreed with the mayor about the project.
Toms River’s government has been plagued in recent months by infighting and acrimony, though Rodrick and all seven council members are Republicans in the GOP stronghold of Ocean County.
Long-simmering political rivalries and big egos have sometimes made it hard to get things done in the town of about 99,000, NJ.com has reported.
“We’re the laughing stock of the state of New Jersey,” said Council President David Ciccozzi, who chaired the marathon meeting. “If there’s anywhere I go, they’re like, ‘Oh my God, how do you do it?’”
The council ultimately failed to pass two of the three ordinances proposed by Rodrick, deadlocking on zoning changes that would allow multifamily developments near Routes 70 and 9.
