Dear Editor:
As current and former Township employees, several who have lived in Parsippany for decades, we wish you, Mayor Desai much success. Although the election was close, the fact that you beat former Mayor Barberio with no money, no visible campaign to speak of, and no position on what you will do as mayor, speaks more about how inept Barberio really was and how much the people craved change.
Your job won’t be an easy one. It will be especially challenging considering you have no experience with local government. Please accept the following advice from the people who have worked at 1001 Parsippany Blvd for a combined 276 years.
- Manage the Police Department. Police leadership will try to undermine you at every turn. For example, a deputy chief recently retired from the force and was just rehired by the police department as a gun permitting clerk. Parsippany already has one retired officer handling gun permits. Does Parsippany really need a second person sitting around all day processing permits? This is all handled online these days anyway.
- The head of your Police Union (Editor’s Note: SOA) is the new owner of a Head shop in Parsippany. All township employees require written permission to own/have second jobs. Was permission obtained (after this letter is published, it will be)? Should your police officers really be running a marijuana dispensary in the same town in which they serve? Is this even legal? At a minimum, the optics are terrible. Reign in your police. Have them do their job and have them actually patrol. You live in Lake Parsippany. How fast do cars speed by your home every day?
- Former Mayor Soriano’s Chief of Staff, Matt Clarkin, affectionately known throughout town hall as the Rasputin of Parsippany, is rumored to be returning, if not as an employee, then as the person making the decisions for you. For those who remember, Matt Clarkin was the architect of the failures of the Soriano administration, from pushing for PILOT deals for major developments like 1515 Route 10, and a litany of other embarrassments and issues that plagued Soriano’s Town Hall, to acting like a true party boss in the breakdown in relations between Soriano and his council colleagues and forcing them out from running for reelection. As town employees who have firsthand experience with Clarkin, you must take a step back from an individual who will likely continue to cause chaos for the people of Parsippany.
a. You seem like a nice man who wants to do good, but let’s be honest. Nobody, probably including yourself, really thought you were going to win. You are in a position you are not prepared for and are now being guided by the very person who destroyed Soriano’s administration from the inside. You can earn a lot of goodwill if you keep Clarkin far away from any position of power in the administration. This means any recommendations for board positions, vendors or jobs should be highly scrutinized and vetted. You are the Mayor now, not Clarkin, and he should do well to remember that.
b. Speaking of Clarkin, we are sure that he will call the editor of Parsippany Focus and say “Frank, I demand respect and you must tell me who wrote this letter. If you don’t, there will be no government contracts for you.”
c. Clarkin’s inability to tolerate dissenting opinions resulted in a total collapse in the relationship between Councilmembers Janice McCarthy and Emily Peterson. McCarthy was even punished by Clarkin, who declined to award the “county-line” for her county committee bid (of which McCarthy had represented her district for ten-plus years). You can find her statement here Councilmember McCarthy Denied Party Line For County Committee Seat | Parsippany Focus.
d. Clarkin even took his vendetta against Peterson to a new level when he decided to push a PILOT program for a redevelopment project right outside and next to Councilwoman Peterson’s home in retaliation. Should he return to Town Hall in any capacity, Council-member Hernandez and the incoming two Democrats should be wary of being on the receiving end of his toxic behavior.
e. The situation surrounding our township clerk was also rumored to have been leaked to the press by Clarkin in retaliation for not being sufficiently “loyal”. Information surrounding domestic violence situations like those are protected by law, and for everything to have been leaked to the press immediately after it happened opened the Township to legal action and violated the law.
3. Speaking of the Township Clerk, it was overheard that newly elected Councilwoman Patel recently told the township’s Clerk “not to worry” because the new Council will be keeping him employed. This kind of statement shows a complete lack of understanding of the role of the Township Council.
Mayor Desai, we are just scratching the surface. You have your work cut out for you. Before making a decision, ask yourself, is this good for Parsippany, or a few interested parties? If you choose what is good for Parsippany, you and all of us will succeed.
Current and Former Township employees
Names were withheld at the request of possible retaliation
