Dear Editor:
Mayor Barberio, your sworn duty is to actively represent Parsippany and pressure state and federal officials to take meaningful action on the drone threat. Sitting on the sidelines while Pequannock’s Mayor—who serves a population one-fourth the size of Parsippany—steps up as the public face of this issue is nothing short of embarrassing. If he’s doing your job, maybe you should consider cutting him a check.
Your excuses for skipping the state drone briefing are laughable and insulting. On the Bill Spadea radio show and in your press release, you dismissed the meeting as “useless,” parroting Assemblyman Brian Bergen’s claim that it was a “waste of time.”
Then you had the audacity to suggest that local seniors “look forward to your presence,” as if that justifies your absence. Let’s be clear: our local seniors, who are taxpayers, would understand that attending a critical public safety briefing on a national security issue is more important than making small talk at a party. And if you couldn’t attend, a responsible official would have sent a delegate.
This meeting wasn’t just about getting updates—it was a chance for mayors to hold state and federal officials accountable. Your no-show is yet another example of your chronic prioritization of parties and political events over the responsibilities of your office.
Councilman Justin Musella was right to call you out. Leaders who put holiday parties ahead of statewide security-sensitive briefings deserve scrutiny. That’s called accountability. You don’t get to write off the meeting as unimportant when you didn’t even bother to show up.
Parsippany deserves better. It’s time for you to step aside, Jamie Barberio, and pursue your social calendar as a private citizen. Stop wasting taxpayer dollars and time with your poor judgment.
And Mr. Spadea, stop giving Barberio cover. Allowing him to use your platform to deflect from his failures diminishes both your credibility and that of your radio station. Parsippany residents deserve the truth—not excuses.
Signed,
Tony Longo
