MORRIS COUNTY — Superior Court Judge Stuart Minkowitz has denied Parsippany Mayor James Barberio’s request for a recount, effectively upholding Democrat Pulkit Desai’s narrow victory in the November 4 general election.
Desai, a political newcomer, unseated the incumbent mayor by 80 votes, marking one of the closest and most closely watched municipal races in New Jersey this year.
In his written order, Judge Minkowitz ruled that Barberio’s legal filing did not meet the threshold requirements necessary for the court to consider a recount. The judge noted that the application failed to include the date of the election certification or the official margin of victory, both of which are required to establish whether the petition was filed within the mandatory statutory deadline.
“Even giving petitioner the benefit of all favorable inferences, petitioner fails to allege sufficient facts from which the court can determine whether the petition was filed within time conferring jurisdiction on the court,” Minkowitz wrote.
Barberio had argued that four residents may have voted twice — once by vote-by-mail and again provisionally — and sought the recount to resolve those alleged irregularities. However, without the procedural information required by New Jersey election law, the court declined to proceed.
The ruling solidifies Desai’s status as Mayor-elect and clears the path for the transition of leadership at Parsippany-Troy Hills Town Hall.
