Dear Editor:
Parsippany has come to a fork in the road, and the primary election is a referendum on the path so far chosen for Parsippany by its elected officials. Given the events of the last 18 months, this former supporter of Mayor Barberio believes the citizens of Parsippany should change course to elect Councilman Justin Musella and his running mates, Casey Parikh and John Bielen, for Town Council.
Over the last two years, Justin has displayed a tireless work ethic, and he has distinguished himself by his responsiveness to the concerns of the community, qualities we should want in a Mayor.
In addition to PILOT Projects, discussed in the past by this author, other decisions made over the last 18 months by the Mayor and his allies on the Town Council show a lack of good judgement. The most egregious action was Councilman Musella’s ill-advised censure attempt. The perceived lawfare and the injustice of this initiative were readily apparent to the electorate. It drew the ire of hundreds of citizens, in part because it was an obvious weaponization of the law, which Republicans have rejected at the national level, and it was an attempt to deprive the voters in Parsippany of a choice in the primary.
As readers may recall, the proposed censure was for a traffic stop where the police officer recognized and acknowledged Musella by name, who was in the car but was not driving. Claims were made that Musella broke the law because his wife handed the police officer his business card, along with the routine license, registration, and insurance cards. Since the police officer already knew who Councilman Musella was, what advantage was there to handing over the business card? People may conclude if this is all Musella’s opponents have on him, he must be honest indeed.
At the March 18 Town Council meeting, reconvened after the fire department cancelled the previous Town Council meeting due to overcrowding, it became known during the hearing of the public session that police recruits are instructed at the Academy not to give tickets to elected officials. This revelation precipitated the backtrack of the censure.
In addition, in the Summer of 2024, Mayor Barberio announced the pursuit of an ill-defined and defamatory “audit” of the Parsippany School District, which already undergoes an annual audit. Each year, the external auditors issue an unqualified opinion (the best kind) on the School District, and it is completed ahead of the state deadline, which 75% of the state’s school districts cannot achieve. A supplemental audit without a concrete reason is highly irregular. The reason cited by the Mayor for the audit was a nebulous “the numbers were all over the place.” Eventually, it was established that the “numbers” referred to student enrollments. However, the only reason for the announcement of the BOE Audit appears to be to use it as a delay tactic. The audit defamed the Administration of the Parsippany School District, for which the Mayor has never apologized.
This delay tactic was successful, as nine months passed from the initial audit announcement to the now-notorious Memorandum of Understanding issuance. At the May 6 Town Council meeting, the Mayor admitted he would not include funding for the students residing at 1515 Route 10, a PILOT Project he did not negotiate but is likely to generate around 200 students, as per a demographic study.
Confirming the Mayor’s assertion, in the recently reviewed Township Budget, there are no additional funds for the school district beyond the required 2% funding increase. When students from 1515 Route 10 attend school, it is projected that adding those children may create an additional unfunded cost of $4 to $5 million per year. This annual deficit will likely recur for the life of the PILOT term of 30 years. The failure of the Mayor to address this looming problem will result in larger class sizes and the elimination of student activities, a prospect the Mayor is aware of. Still, he did not address it until he was politically dragged, kicking and screaming, to do so.
A recent flyer sent by the Barberio campaign asks the wrong question. It should ask if the township, including the school district, is better off with the PILOT project. Objectively, it is hard to see how the town is better off.
When an incumbent embarks on a path that works against the town, the voters one remedy is to deny reelection to that incumbent. This former Barberio supporter enthusiastically encourages a vote for Justin Musella, Casey Parikh, and John Bielen.
Jack S. Raia
