Gavel (Credit: Brian Turner/Flickr)
Toms River Township’s municipal attorney, Ken Fitzsimmons, is celebrating his retirement this week after serving as the government’s legal counsel for more than a decade.
“Thirteen years ago, Ken left private practice and joined us here at town hall,” said Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill. “He’s seen us through Sandy and, more importantly, the infamous 2008 revaluation where he was doing in upwards of 4,000 tax appeals a year. He handled that in-house.”
Fitzsimmons represented numerous council and boards of government agencies for years as a partner in a Point Pleasant Beach law firm before going to work full time for Toms River. He developed a reputation as an even-keeled, cautious speaker who provided sage advice with a bit of humor on the side.
“Ken was a stalwart during Sandy,” said Council President Maria Maruca. “There were so many things we never faced to that magnitude in our town. Ken is always the voice of reason; he is that steady rudder when the ship could be hitting rough seas.”
All of Fitzsimmons’ colleagues noted the hard work he performed after the 2008 financial crisis, when the township was managing thousands upon thousands of tax appeals after the real estate market collapsed.
“I got to see you in action, and you’ve been nothing but impressive,” Township Administrator Lou Amoruso told Fitzsimmons. “You joined us here in Toms River and the town is a better place for it.”
“I’ve enjoyed my time in Toms River and have worked with some very fine people,” Fitzsimmons said, before settling in behind the dais to participate in the evening’s council meeting.
It was not announced who would be present during future council meetings to provide legal advice. Hill appointed Gregory P. McGuckin head of the newly-formed Department of Law last year, but he has yet to attend a meeting. McGuckin is a partner in the firm of Dasti, Murphy, McGuckin, Ulaky, Koutsouris & Connors, of Forked River.
