Medford Township’s former manager is challenging his firing in state court
Daniel Hornickel alleges that council denied him his employee due process rights and violated the Open Public Meetings Act during his firing.
Medford Township is facing a lawsuit from former Township Manager Daniel Hornickel who is seeking to nullify his firing and reinstate himself in the role.
Hornickel, an attorney representing himself in the case, filed a complaint in Burlington County Superior Court on April 30, two days after the five-member council passed a resolution approving his removal as manager, the Courier Post first reported.
In the lawsuit, Hornickel, who lives in Bordentown Township, alleges that council denied him his employee due process rights and violated the Open Public Meetings Act during his firing.
The legal filing comes less than two months after Medford Township formally initiated the process to fire Hornickel on March 13 by sending him a legally mandated notice that his employment was in discussion.
According to the lawsuit, Hornickel then proposed a separation agreement on March 16 that stipulated that if the offer were rejected, council would hold a public discussion about their intention to seek Hornickel’s removal from the role, which pays between $100,000 and $190,000, according to the salary range approved by council.
The next morning, township solicitor Gregory McGuckin indicated that the settlement likely would not be accepted to which Hornickel reiterated his ultimatum for public discussion during that night’s council meeting, the lawsuit alleges.
But that night, council immediately entered closed session after the start of the meeting and upon returning, adopted a resolution to suspend Hornickel and move forward with the firing process. Council did not discuss or deliberate the resolution in public during the March 17 meeting.
In the resolution, council offered 10 reasons for seeking Hornickel’s dismissal, including that “council has lost confidence” in him, particularly as it relates to both the 2025 and 2026 budgets, the latter of which they said was delivered “late and above the cap legally allowed.”
They also allege that Hornickel has not implemented council policies and directions, does not communicate with council members, and has failed to properly advise council on various matters during his 18-month tenure as manager.
On April 28, council held a special hearing where they approved the resolution authorizing Hornickel’s firing.
During the hearing, Hornickel responded to each of council’s points, noting that three current council members were not on council in 2025 and therefore did not participate in the budget process while the two others voted to approve it.
“Your statement that ‘the 2026 budget was late and above the cap legally allowed’ is an invalid statement,” he said. “For the record, you introduced a 2026 budget that is substantially similar to the budget I sent you on March 9.”
In response to many of the other charges outlined in the resolution, Hornickel argued that he couldn’t adequately defend himself because council would not publicly release details.
“Don’t respond to me just because I’m asking, tell the public,” Hornickel told council. “If I’ve done this, give the public some concrete examples.”
Hornickel also argued that council was misinterpreting their role as the legislative branch for Medford’s government. The manager runs daily operations as the executive officer, he said, not township council.
“Your job is to set policy,” Hornickel said. “I looked at every single agenda this year through March 17. So what purported policy or direction did you as a legislative body issue that I failed to implement?”
“There’s nothing,” he said.
Hornickel declined to provide any additional comment Wednesday while the township solicitor did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Medford’s Fire and EMS Chief Robert Dovi, Jr. is serving as the interim manager with assistance from Southampton Township Administrator Brandon Umba through a shared services agreement.
Council originally appointed Hornickel manager by resolution on July 16, 2024, an appointment made effective the following September.
Prior to his time in Medford, Hornickel served as the business administrator Pemberton Township for more than five years. Before that, Hornickel spent nine years as the human resources director for Burlington County.
A remote proceeding for the case is scheduled at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 8 before Superior Court Judge Terrance Cook.