Dear Editor,
Parsippany is in need of officials who honestly care for environmental values over private economic concerns. The present administration has failed to protect our remaining landscapes from improper land-use. Quality of life issues seem not to matter to our present administration or Planning Board.
Certain “SuperPac” influences make it doubtful that Parsippany’s best interests will be forthcoming; rather corporate developers will consume what landscapes remain. Behind much of this land is our aquifer where 65% of all Parsippany’s water comes. The rest from two private sources. Paving over the earth will lead us to even higher water bills in the future, accumulative impacts will lead to health issues. Politicians not true leaders that still go for the tax-rateable chase have not learned from the past, that these rateables do not compensate for addition costs and loss of quality of life by additional sprawl and unneeded land development.
A post development mentality must take us into the future. Property in many senses is the end of community; Parsippany has failed to latch on to regional Planning which provides many benefits for all; ignoring all other positive outcomes of regional planning. Our present Master Plan is constantly changed by large developers, at will. We have also failed to upgrade our Master Plan and give it legal standings under regional conformance. What is Home Rule when a developer can sue; whereas regional planning gives legal protections, saving tax-payers and giving transparency and encourages public participation.
This administration failed to save Greystone landscape, which most certainly could have occurred, by contacting the State Historic Trust, and they the National Park Service, which has a Kirkbride division in their Northeast office. Forge Pond may also be lost for failure of action giving back 130 acres allegedly earmarked for open space to developers. Waterview, where the administration without considering the immediate neighborhood or the unique landscape itself in the Troy Brook watershed, a beautiful enhancing feature to the area given over to a nasty inconsiderate developer RD Realty, which our present administration encouraged, and played divide and conquer with their own community. The Turf Field, Fields of Dreams, voted no; went forward anyway with our tax-dollars. The phony case trumped-up against Captain Carifi, costing tax-payers, and the Public Housing Fears used to help developers and deceive the public; the phony choice; either a supermarket, or public housing.
Politicians, not organically linked to their community or environmental issues of the time must not be reelected. Instead of loving our lands they see them as mere commodities available for market speculation; having developed areas not used, they advocate for more development of the same nature. The UPS deal where another office complex in a land littered with offices will destroy another environmental sensitive zone. The administration calls the UPS deal “redevelopment”, in reality it is rezoning and new land development.
There is no place in local elections for SuperPacs, this betrayal of the community, must not manifest at the polls. If voters care for the community and not their own self-interest they will vote their conscience not their party.
In this election, Paul Carifi deserves our support as he has stood for the people, where as the others have placed themselves above the people and ignored the voters.
It is also time for the Democrats to be elected; read their contentions, they are in Parsippany’s best interest. Vote Parsippany’s Best Interest: Vote Carifi, and Two Democrats.
Nicholas Homyak
