PARSIPPANY — Less than 24 hours after Councilman Justin Musella announced his running mates, Mayor Jamie Barberio’s allies—Council members Paul Carifi, Matt McGrath, and Frank Neglia—moved to censure him. Their justification? A rehashed video from Barberio’s campaign, showing a routine traffic stop from August 2023.
In the footage, Musella and his wife were pulled over, and the officer appeared to recognize them before asking for ID. Musella admitted to urging his wife to drive faster to catch a train but requested no special treatment. His wife received only a warning. Despite this, Barberio claimed that her presenting Musella’s council card constituted misconduct, using it as ammunition to justify an ethics probe.
Public outcry was swift and overwhelming. Resident after resident called out the absurdity of the attack, labeling it a transparent smear campaign.
“Politics should be about issues,” said Nick Homyak. “The police officer extended courtesy and moved on. It’s clearly dirty politics!”
Jack Raia, a Board of Education member, slammed the council for focusing on petty attacks instead of real issues, reminding them that Parsippany still hasn’t received answers about Barberio’s politically motivated school district audit.
Others highlighted the hypocrisy of the move. “This is just another attempt to push Musella out of the GOP primary,” said resident Bob Venezia, citing how Morris County GOP Chair Laura Ali had previously pressured Musella to drop out.
Residents like Kim Andersen expressed frustration over misplaced priorities, noting Musella had been one of the few council members addressing local water issues, while Barberio’s administration remained unresponsive.
Hank Heller condemned the censure attempt as a disgrace. “This whole thing is garbage and beneath you,” he told the council. “We should be talking about what matters—not going after people who think differently.”
Despite the overwhelming opposition, the council voted to draw up censure charges, with only Councilwoman Judy Hernandez opposing. Musella, undeterred, issued a defiant response:
“This is not about ethics. This is about punishing someone who challenges the status quo… If they think they can intimidate me, they are gravely mistaken. I will not be silenced, and I will not be bullied.”
Many in attendance at last night’s meeting suspect this attempt at political lawfare will backfire on Barberio given the larger number of residents publicly speaking against Tuesday night’s move by Barberio and his political allies.
