PARSIPPANY — After a year of canceled and postponed events, The Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills is pleased to announce the return of summer concerts at Veterans Park.

While there will only be two performances this year, the Township is excited to bring back this staple outdoor summer celebration.

“This outdoor concert series brings us back to some normalcy,” said Joe Plescia, Superintendent of Parsippany’s Recreation Department. “It gets people back to the park and gets folks together with one another who they maybe haven’t seen in over a year in some cases. It’s just so important that people be reminded that they’re a part of this wonderful community.”

This Thursday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m, Parsippany welcomes Morris County favorites Street Hassle to Veterans Park, playing anything from classic rock to today’s hits, with a full horn section and an incredible live performance sure to get the audience up and dancing. These shows are sponsored by Provident Bank. “I know I’m not alone in thinking that this year’s Independence Day Concert and Fireworks was a long-overdue celebration that our town needed,” said Mayor Soriano. “I want our residents to be able to share in the joys of living here and to take pride in all of their ongoing efforts to keep themselves and their loved ones safe after a year and a half of uncertainty. We all knew this time would come, and it’s finally here.”

These shows will be presented at no expense to residents thanks to a sizeable donation from Provident Bank, a long-time supporter of the township’s outdoor concert series. “Provident has been involved for as long as I can remember,” said Plescia.

“We can’t thank them enough for their generous support over so many years, it’s really made a difference.” Concert-goers are encouraged to continue wearing masks, practicing social distancing, and washing their hands frequently, even if they have been vaccinated. Health officials across the country are still recommending with highly transmissible variants continuing to spread across the country that it’s on everyone to protect themselves even at outdoor festivities this summer.

“I think our township continues to show through the data that we’re exceeding expectations on responding to this pandemic,” said Mayor Soriano. “With vaccination rates hovering around 70% of eligible recipients, and with outbreaks of new cases continuing to remain low, Parsippany residents clearly take their health and safety seriously, and we all deserve to get back to enjoying life the way we’re accustomed.”

For more information on the summer concert series, please contact the Parsippany Recreation Department at Recreation@parsippany.net, or call (973) 263-7257.

PARSIPPANY — One of the most important responsibilities of the Mayor of the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills is to submit an annual budget to the Council. This typically occurs each year in late winter or early spring. So far this year, Mayor Michael Soriano has been derelict in his duty by refusing to provide the Council with a legal budget. Even the Democrats on the Council have checked their political hats at the door to lend a voice to his incompetence. The process is clear – the Mayor submits a budget to the Council and then the Council has a series of public budget meetings before making adjustments and adopting it. The budget process is usually completed by now.  But this year, it hasn’t even begun. This prompts a very important question, which I pose directly to Mayor Soriano. Where is your budget?

So far, Mayor Soriano has been attempting to blame the Council and others for what he is responsible for. That is not leadership! It is time for Soriano to do his job and submit a budget.

Based on the public documents I have reviewed, it appears that Parsippany is in financial trouble due to Soriano’s financial mismanagement. My review shows that Soriano has squandered approximately $16 Million of surplus in our utilities since he took office. No wonder Soriano increased water and sewer rates by 39%. That is outrageous! Imagine what Soriano’s tax increase could be?

Soriano’s team is deserting him. His business administrator suddenly resigned without explanation. His planning board attorney suddenly resigned. Our non-political CFO resigned and went to work for another town. The police Chief just abruptly “retired”.

Councilman dePierro’s advice to Parsippany’s first term Mayor hit the mark when he stated “If the Administration is looking for advice on areas to cut, I would recommend all of the new Administrative positions that have been created in the past three years. The salary, pension, and benefits of many of those positions exceed six figures.”

Soriano’s tact of governing by spin is wearing thin on Parsippany voters – and his inability to do the job is becoming more apparent every day. But first things first. Mayor Soriano, this is your fourth year in office.  Submit your budget and be man enough to own it.

This press release was submitted by James Barberio, Republican Candidate for Mayor

PARSIPPANY — The Parsippany-Troy Hills Township School District has been awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO). ASBO International recognizes districts that have met the program’s high standards for financial reporting and transparency. The school district earned the Certificate of Excellence for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended 2020.

“The COE’s mission is to promote and recognize excellence in financial reporting,” ASBO International Executive Director David Lewis says. “The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report informs stakeholders about the financial and economic state of the district, making it an important communications tool for building trust and engaging with the school community.”

By participating in the COE program, school districts demonstrate their commitment to financial transparency. Applicants submit their reports for review by a team of financial professionals who provide feedback to improve future documents. If the report meets the requirements of the program, it may receive the Certificate of Excellence. A district’s participation in the COE program can facilitate bond rating and continuing bond disclosure processes.

Alison Cogan, Board of Education Vice-President and Chairperson of the Finance Committee, acknowledged the award and stated, “This award confirms our District’s true commitment to being transparent with our finances and reporting.  It is an affirmation of the hard work put into carefully balancing the needs of our students, facilities, and taxpayers while maintaining the high educational standards our community expects.”