Dear Editor:
In his recent Letter to the Editor, Tim Berrios asks why Mayor Barberio has suddenly and without reason launched an unprecedented attack on the Board of Education’s integrity and ability to manage the school district’s finances.
As a former member of the Board of Education, I can attest to the rigor of the Board’s annual financial review and its commitment to ensuring that all recommendations made by auditors are adhered to. I can also confirm that past Mayors (and Town Council members) fully understood and respected the long-standing precedent that precluded Mayoral interference in and/or oversight of the Board’s policies, practices, and finances. This is not to say that opportunities to leverage shared benefits were not explored and encouraged but it is to state that each entity understood it’s lane and stayed in its lane.
So, why is Mayor Barberio so aggressive and angrily on the attack?
The answer is simple—Mayor Barberio is driven by his panicked realization that his chances for re-election are once again slipping away. Understanding that the residents of Parsippany will no longer tolerate his willingness to kowtow to out-of-town developers and their well-paid lawyers, Mayor Barberio is attempting to distract attention from his many failures by launching an unfounded and self-serving attack on the Board of Education.
Anger, Cowardice, Ignorance, and Greed are probably not the qualities Parsippany voters will look for when they cast their ballots for Mayor in next year’s Republican primary.
Bob Crawford
Montville
