Dear Editor:
Mayor Barberio, it has been made clear that you are the Police Director, which means you control all the hiring & promotions at the Police Department. Council President Paul Carifi also made it clear, at the last meeting, not to piss off the mayor or you won’t be promoted.
This leads me to my questions:
First, can you tell the public why there has been nineteen patrolmen hired within 2023-2024, yet twenty-six have retired? Some of these retirements were quick exits by way of military buyback time. Of the twenty-six retired, eleven are Sergeants and Lieutenants. The promotions in February of 2024 only replaced four supervisors since two promoted that day have already retired. Why are the supervisors working an unhealthy amount of overtime when an officer can be promoted? The lack of promotions has caused the town to hemorrhage tax money in unnecessary overtime. The Lieutenants list expires April 20th & the Sergeants list October 19th. So what are you doing here?
The patrolman hired has some personal connection to you. They are either a past officer’s grandchild, child, nephew, or child’s boyfriend; your best friend, Daniel Margotta’s nephew; or even the neighbor living across the street from you. None of these officers needed to take the civil service test per ordinance 2022-08.
Why do the officers to be promoted need to take a test, yet you still hire who you want? Does it depend on who has donated to your campaign? That information is public knowledge. Or is it who shows up at a fundraising event to support you whether deep down they do or not? The claim that text messages were sent to officers inviting them to your fundraising event was the truth. It seems there is a game being played. Rich Pantina was hired as Chief even after his score did not qualify him to be hired as Chief. With this being said, what are Chief Pantina and Deputy Chief Dowd’s roles at the police department? It seems you are the puppeteer controlling your puppets.
You want all the credit for making Parsippany safe, but you have created an unhealthy working environment for many township employees, which isn’t good for business for the town residents. Nobody trusts you, and everyone knows what is happening behind closed doors at the township. It is too bad that everyone is walking on eggshells.
Anonymous employee of the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department
Name being withheld due to possible retaliation
