Accusations Fly Over Toms River Superintendent Search

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River Regional Board of Education member is accused of ethics violations in the wake of her statements accusing a Toms River Township councilman of interfering in the search for a new superintendent.

Board member Kathy Eagan, at the April 21 school board meeting, said the councilman called her and asked her to urge another board member to change their vote on a new superintendent. "I was told to tell someone on the committee that it would be to that person's benefit to change their vote," she said. She did not identify the councilman.

But Ashley Palmiere, who also sits on the school board, alleges Eagan herself was trying to "influence and manipulate" the selection process.

Palmiere made the accusation in an email to members of the Toms River council, Mayor Maurice Hill and school board vice president Anna Polozzo; Patch received the email on a blind copy.

"Ms. Eagan tried on several occasions to influence and manipulate the appointment of a new Superintendent, despite her gross conflict with more than a dozen family members employed in-district," Palmiere wrote in the email sent late Monday night and signed on behalf of herself and school board member Lisa Contessa. "Being conflicted, Board Member Eagan is not permitted to be involved in the search in any way."

"Realistically she should be totally unaware of whom the candidates are, yet she repeatedly and unethically advocates for one specific person, Mike Citta," Palmiere said, and made reference to the hiring of Eagan's family members under disgraced Superintendent Michael Ritacco.

Citta is the principal at Toms River High School South and was the principal at Hooper Avenue Elementary School; he also had been an assistant superintendent under Ritacco.

Palmiere included screenshots of a three-way text message exchange dated March 23, among herself, Contessa and Eagan. In the messages, Eagan says the search committee needs to "rethink about dropping Citta." .

"I know I should not really ask but I really think the committee needs to rethink about dropping Citta," she wrote. "I would love to talk to you both why I feel so strongly about this. I can meet anytime today after 3:30."

The screenshot shows Contessa replying that she is unavailable and that Palmiere is out of state. "I'm also a little uncomfortable meeting on this topic," she says. "I hope you'll trust we'll make a great decision for this district."

Eagan replied: "People who do know history of TR schools need information. I was told he did not interview well. I would hope your committee would fact check any info on application and check with each district in which they worked. In the past this was not done," she said, adding remarks about one previous hire, along with comments about former Superintendent David Healy, with whom she clashed repeatedly while she was still president of the Toms River Education Association.

In the email, Palmiere says she and Contessa have filed an ethics complaint against Eagan and that Polozzo "is pursuing the ethics complaints with Board Attorney Stephan Leone."

"If there was an investigation, it would be confidential," Polozzo said by telephone Tuesday.

A request to Palmiere for a copy of the ethics complaint was unanswered as of 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Eagan, in a telephone conversation Tuesday morning, reiterated what she said at the school board meeting, that she did not know who the candidates were until the field was narrowed to two people. She said she knew Citta had applied, and she also knew was no longer in the running because he had told several people that he had not reached the final stage of the interview process.

She said her text messages to Contessa and Palmiere were sent after Citta had notified friends he was no longer in the running for the position, and that her request for a meeting was because "I wanted to talk to them about things we need in Toms River."

"I was very open that I thought Mike Citta was the best choice," Eagan said. "Why I feel he's the best choice has nothing to do with Ritacco."

She said she made the statements about the interference in the superintendent search because "I wanted a good search."

"I knew if I said something I was going to have blowback from a certain person. I didn't even use a name ... but it needs to be out in the public," Eagan said.

Eagan's comments sparked criticism from Jason Crispin, who is seeking the Republican nomination for council in Ward 2. Crispin called Eagan's allegations "alarming."

"If any member of the Township Council is trying to intimidate school board members it is extremely unethical and must be addressed immediately," Crispin said.

Crispin said the allegation of interference was similar to a complaint voiced by Joseph Nardini in a letter to the Toms River council in January 2020. In the letter Nardini said Rodrick had requested a meeting in late 2019 with two newly elected school board members and three sitting members. The meeting did not happen, but Nardini voiced concerns that Rodrick was attempting to discuss Board of Education business.

Nardini, who was board president in 2019 and is president this year, said having five school board members together constitutes a quorum of the nine-member school board. "Although Councilman Rodrick may perceive that this was a permitted political meeting, it did not involve the candidacy of any of the Members but rather a discussion of Board of Education business," Nardini wrote.

Nardini accused Rodrick of using the meeting "to secure privileges or appointments for himself or others in violation of N.J.S.A. 40A:9-22.5(c)."

"It may be that Councilman Rodrick engaged in private action concerning Board of Education business, however, he does and will vote on Council matters that affect or are directly involved with the Board of Education, wherein he may attempt to use his official position on council to affect Board of Education Policy, which, in my opinion, violates the spirit of N.J.S.A. 18A:12-2," Nardini said.

Rodrick, in response to the allegations of Crispin and Nardini, provided the following statement:

"My opponent, Jason Crispin, spent the last 11 years giving special deals to developers, and has nothing to run on, so they’re manufacturing an issue. The fact is, Kathy Eagan is financially conflicted, and tried in writing on multiple occasions to influence the Interview Committee to appoint Ritacco’s Assistant, Mike Citta, as the new superintendent."

"Jason Crispin called for resignations of school board members, and I want to know if he will call for his ally Kathy Eagan to resign?" Rodrick said.

He said, "This is the first time I’ve seen Mr. Nardini’s letter. If it had merit, it would have been acted on over a year ago. Everyone in my family is gainfully employed, but Mr. Nardini has numerous family members working for the schools and township. Unlike Eagan and Nardini, my only concerns for the school district are related to my children, their education, taxes, and our property values."

Eagan said she hopes the school board will revisit the search process, and reiterated that the public needed to know what was going on.

"All I want is for us to have the best superintendent," Eagan said.

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