Dear Editor:
I am old enough to remember the controversy during the previous mayoral election that began with the misuse of government money by our former mayor, Jamie Barberio, and that ridiculous mailer sent out right before the election. The criticism that came from the Soriano camp was completely valid in that this kind of behavior was not just unethical, but possibly illegal. I agreed with Soriano then, which is why I am so dismayed to have seen our taxpayer-funded Township of Parsippany Facebook page morph into a propaganda tool by the current administration over the past few years. A cursory look down the Facebook feed of the township and you will find promotional videos of his council candidates and their various doings on in town, such as cleaning up the Troy-Meadows River. While the irony of Soriano and his administration taking its first steps to “clean up Parsippany” during an election year, three years after his election, is not lost on me, it is remarkable just how far he and his administration have fallen.
I also understand that Herbig and Hernandez are involved with our “Green Team” but those are appointed spots by guess-who, the Mayor. He should recognize the possible conflict of interest he has in making them the current focus of Township efforts to get the word out and show residents he is dissimilar from his predecessor. While I am sure what he is doing is not illegal, it is demonstrably unethical and in contrast to his promise of clean local government, and I hope the Township Council takes steps to prevent his misuse of township communications from occurring in the future. What was promised to us was a fresh new approach to local government that would keep our taxes relatively stable while making sure we still received the services that have made Parsippany a place of pride. Instead, it appears that we’re stuck with an elected representative who can only think of costly, innovative ways to hold on to power, no matter the damage.
P.S. Our water bill is out of control, please dedicate more time to ensuring that isn’t something that will force residents to leave.
Jigesh Patel
