Dear Editor:
The mayor’s April 11th meeting with the Indian Community was a Political Rally, and a possible violation of the Hatch Act, amounting to a partisan political campaign involving appointed town officials and department heads.
Catering to specific groups or Demographic segmentation for their votes most likely. The concerns should be the shared public trust in Parsippany’s overall quality of life, not turning Parsippany into any other aspects other than issues of environment, and honest services for quality of life for all.
From the Focus article by Jigar Shah:
“One individual who deserves special recognition is Mayor James Barberio, whose unwavering support and insightful contributions helped illuminate the path forward for the community. His efforts in keeping the Indian American community informed about the township’s initiatives have truly strengthened our bond.”
Perhaps if such urgent concerns are genuine the Town Council Public Sessions should be expanded to more than 5 minutes when called for, or open dialogues allowed between Council, and Citizens, instead of one-way rebuttals, with no exchange.
This meeting was most likely political, not social, what concerns do the Indian Community have that can not be addressed at Town Hall, the Chamber of Commerce, or a special meeting for all Parsippany Residents to explore? In short, this was a political marketing of the Indian Community for their votes.
In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy says, “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” It’s a phrase that has come to mean that we have stepped outside of what is considered normal; we have entered a place or circumstance that is unfamiliar and uncomfortable; we have found.
What is so distressing, alarming, or different, that this group is disturbed about, and how exactly is it so different from all of us? Is it our water, trash, over-development, or quality of life overall?
Nick Homyak
