Dear Editor:
I have just read the article in Parsippany Focus describing last evening’s Town Council meeting, and I believe a couple of comments are in order.
First, thank you to Parsippany Focus and Publisher Frank Cahill for attending the meeting and reporting on the meeting events. While 250 residents could attend the Council meeting, thousands of other Parsippany residents did not. So, the coverage provided by Focus continues to play a vital and much-needed role by keeping Parsippany residents informed about the actions taken by their local elected officials, including the Mayor and the members of the Town Council.
Second, thank you to Police Chief Richard Pantina for managing the uncertainty that accompanied last evening’s Town Council meeting. The Chief kept the attendees informed about the steps being taken to engage the Fire Marshal, thereby explaining the delay in restarting the Council meeting.
Third, as reported by Parsippany Focus, Councilman Frank Neglia’s allegation that Mr. Tim Berrios challenged Mr. Neglia to meet him in the parking lot is a total fabrication. I was standing next to Mr. Berrios and in front of Mr. Neglia when Mr. Berrios only said to Mr. Neglia: “What happened to you?” Mr. Berrios did, however, tag a rather tame but not-so-nice name to the end of his question to Mr. Neglia. That was all that Mr. Berrios said to Mr. Neglia, after which Mr. Berrios left the Council Chamber.
Fourth, the fact that Mr. Neglia dared to send Parsippany Police Department members to Mr. Berrios’ home to follow up on an event that never happened raises several serious questions. The most fundamental one is: Can an elected official use the Police Department to attempt to intimidate a member of the public? And as importantly, does Mr. Neglia, as the Council Vice President, have the authority to direct the Police Department to do so?
Finally, Parsippany is facing many challenges, including a library that is literally falling down in Lake Hiawatha, a seemingly stalled and pothole-ridden streetscape project on North Beverwyck Road, rising taxes, and a Mayor who is more interested in manufacturing political crises than solving problems.
Bob Crawford
