Dear Editor:
Wow, what a Town Council Meeting!
First, I would like to say to all parties that I respect how this very divisive issue of “CENSURING” Councilman Justin Musella turned out. I appreciate the many people who came out to voice their opinions publicly with clarity and civility. I respect Councilman McGrath’s thoughtful and sensitive reaction to the testimony of our two neighbors who are active Police Officers in other jurisdictions.
Their procedural clarity resonated strongly with our sitting Councilmen, and I applaud our Town Council for finding a resolution that made sense to all parties. I do not know the names of those two Law Enforcement officers, but I would love them to get the recognition that their integrity and sense of fairness deserve.
We, the citizens of Parsippany, do not agree on all issues, but that seems OK. We should not have to agree to discuss challenging issues honestly and civilly. I ask our Town Council, when future challenging and time-consuming issues come to the fore, NOT to change the usual public speaking allowance from 5 minutes to 1 minute without at least a day of early warning. It sends a message of deep disrespect and causes deep distrust. Speaking only for myself, I prepared a statement that I timed and refined to 4 minutes and 17 seconds. With no prior warning, I found it very upsetting to only share a quarter of my thoughts, all of which I believed to be important, in 60 seconds. That council decision told me plainly that my elected officials did not care what I (and many others) thought about the important issues on the agenda. There was no hint of movement until our Law Enforcement Officer neighbors spoke. By allowing only 60 seconds to convey our thoughts and values, I, and many others, felt that the council members were telling the voters, “Our decision is made. We do not care what you think or say.” Please do not shoot yourselves in your sensitive places by not showing respect for your voters.
That being said, I am glad that our Council members and our entire citizenry can now return to the truly important issues of governance, municipal management, and how we each plan to vote in the near future.
Hank Heller
Parsippany
