Councilmember McCarthy Denied Party Line For County Committee Seat

Frank L. Cahill
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Councilmember McCarthy Denied Party Line For County Committee Seat

PARSIPPANY — Janice McCarthy’s term on the Township Council will be ending on December 31.

But that doesn’t mean she won’t be on the ballot this year.  As a long-time committeeperson for the Parsippany Democratic Committee, Councilmember McCarthy has also been vice-chair and more recently, Chair of the local organization.  Although almost half of the 78 seats remain vacant on the ballot this year, McCarthy’s District 5 has three people running for two spots and McCarthy appears to be the odd person out.

Prior to the filing deadline, Matt Clarkin, Chair of the Parsippany Dems, submitted to the Township Clerk 37 of the total 38 petitions filed for the County Committee. All candidates were given the coveted “party-line” except one, McCarthy.

When questioned about this, Clarkin replied in an email to Parsippany Focus, “in order to be on the Democratic line, candidates need to file with MCDC’s slogan, “Morris County Democratic Committee, Inc.” Janice did not file with that slogan (or any slogan), and was thus not eligible to be on the Democratic line.” Clarkin also sits as a Commissioner on the Morris County Board of Elections and served as the former Chief of Staff to Mayor Soriano before abruptly leaving that position earlier this year.

When asked for a response to Clarkin’s email, Councilmember McCarthy disagreed with his characterization of events explaining “In February, I was advised by a member of the Parsippany Democratic Committee that the Chair, Matt Clarkin, would not be awarding my candidacy the Committee’s endorsement and a position on the ballot under the MCDC line. Apparently, there were rumors that Mr. Clarkin was actively recruiting candidates to run in District 5 under the county-endorsed ballot position. Sadly, it appears this decision was made prior to my petition being filed and any omission in my petition being claimed.”

Both events came as a surprise especially considering my ten-plus years’ service to the party and my productive tenure on the township committee. The comments made by the chair are disheartening to hear, claiming the error was on my part. It is my understanding as a former Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee that it has always been the responsibility of the Chair to ensure that all endorsed candidates on the county-line have the correct slogan affixed to their petition. Unfortunately, no attempts were made to notify me that the slogan was omitted.

Speaking as a former Co-Chair of the committee myself, I believe the endorsement process surrounding the county-line must improve for the next election to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future. As the highest vote-getter in the 2017 election for any council candidate in Parsippany and an elected official who has represented the interests of all in our Township, it is a disappointment, but I’m looking forward to earning the votes of Democrats in my district and continuing to represent them in the party should I earn their vote,” said McCarthy.

This will be the first County Committee race since the passing of former Mayor Mimi Letts, and long-serving member, Robert Keller. Notably, several other long-serving committee members that have decided against running for re-election to the County Committee this year include current Councilmember Emily Peterson, former Councilmember Jonathan Nelson, former Chair Julie Peterson, as well as her husband Bob.

Wharton Man Charged with Aggravated Assault and Weapons Offenses

Frank L. Cahill
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Wharton Man Charged with Aggravated Assault and Weapons Offenses

MORRIS COUNTY — An armed Wharton man was arrested Saturday in Morris Township on weapons and aggravated assault charges, stemming from alleged incidents this month in Dover and Rockaway Township, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Steven Retana, 21, had a handgun when he was apprehended at a residence on Lindsley Drive, according to Acting Prosecutor Robert Carroll.

Retana was apprehended on Saturday, May 22, in Morris Township after an investigation into multiple incidents involving the use and possession of a handgun. The initial investigation started after a report that Retana allegedly threatened and pointed a handgun at an individual in Dover on or about May 10. Authorities were once again investigating Retana for a similar incident that occurred on the evening of May 21, in Rockaway Township. In this incident, Retana was again suspected of making threats and pointing a handgun at another person. At the time of his arrest, Retana was found to be in possession of a handgun. The defendant was apprehended on Saturday, May 22 at a residence on Lindsley Drive in Morris Township.

Retana was charged with two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, two counts of Possession of a Weapon for Unlawful Purpose, two counts of Aggravated Assault, for allegedly pointing a firearm, and two counts of Terroristic Threats, along with additional counts of Certain Persons Not to Possess Firearms, all stemming from the May 10 and May 21 incidents. The defendant was transferred to the Morris County Correctional Facility pending a court appearance.

Editor’s Note: An arrest or the signing of a criminal complaint is merely an accusation.  Despite this accusation, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until he or she has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Kislak Sells Office Complex For $10.5 Million Despite Pandemic-Related Challenges

Frank L. Cahill
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Kislak Sells Office Complex For $10.5 Million Despite Pandemic-Related Challenges

PARSIPPANY — The Kislak Company announced the sale of the Troy Office Center located at 1259-1269 U.S. Highway for $10,500,000.

Kislak marketed the property on an exclusive basis with Vice President Tom Scatuorchio handling the assignment on behalf of the seller, a private investor. He also procured the purchaser, Shree Parsippany Developers, LLC.

Mr. Scatuorchio remarked: “This was an extremely complex property to sell and finance given the current state of the office market. The transaction began in the early months of the Covid-19 crisis in May 2020 and took a tremendous amount of effort from all parties involved to close nearly a year later.”

Located on 10.55 acres of land with 670 feet of frontage on the eastbound side of Route 46, the property consists of four well-maintained adjacent office buildings totaling approximately 126,000 square feet on the heavily trafficked corridor near Route 80. Hotels, daycare, banks, and shopping are within walking distance and nearby.

All low-rise buildings, buildings 1 and 2 are two-story with stairs and elevators, and buildings 3 and 4 are one-story. With a variety of tenants and occupancy at 79% at the time of sale, most leases have automatic renewal clauses, adding to the huge upside potential for the property.

With easy access to major highways, the property is less than 40 minutes to New York City, Newark Liberty Airport, and Port Newark/Elizabeth. Currently zoned O-3, and due to its excellent location and access, the property holds promise for partial or full redevelopment for other uses in the future, especially as envisioned by the buyer as well-situated suburban office space.

Mr. Scatuorchio highlighted that: “This is the third large office/retail deal, which I’ve closed with this purchaser in Morris County.”  Morris County was ranked the 10th most populous county in the state as of the 2019 Census estimate with Parsippany-Troy Hills Township being the most populous area in the county, which has also been ranked as one of the top 25 wealthiest counties in the U.S over the past ten years.

Tom Scatuorchio joined Kislak in 2016 and specializes in the sale of retail and multifamily investment properties in Morris and Essex County, New Jersey. In 2017, he earned Kislak’s Rising Star award and in 2021, he was promoted to vice president.

Shree Parsippany Developers, LLC. was formed on October 22, 2020 and Bhagirath P. Maheta, Parsippany; Suresh Patel, Saddle Brook; and  Jyoti Patel, Mountainside are listed as officers.

Crisis in Palestine sparks Teens to Organize a Rally in Support of Palestinians

Press Release
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Crisis in Palestine sparks Teens to Organize a Rally in Support of Palestinians

PARSIPPANY — On Sunday, May 23, a rally will be held at Smithfield Park at Parsippany starting at 3:30 p.m.

This rally is one of the many taking place across the United States in response to the countless recent attacks on Palestinians by Israeli forces. In the last month alone, 230 Palestinians have been killed by the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, including 65 children. Over 1700 were reported as injured and both numbers continue to rise at an alarming pace. Israel has reported 10 dead from the Hamas rocket launches, including two children.

Many Jewish people and Israelis are condemning the Israeli military for their latest actions against civilians. “Our main goal is to educate people on what is happening in Palestine with accurate information and unique perspectives,” says Medina Kandil, one of the youth organizers of the event. “This is not a Palestinian or Muslim issue, it’s a human rights issue,” another youth organizer, Noor Zaman, remarked. “The situation concerns people of all religions, races, and nationalities.”

The rally in Parsippany, which is the first of its kind in Morris County, will take place on the eastbound side of Route 46 at the intersection of Baldwin Road, followed by a teach-in on the Smithfield Turf.

The teach-in will feature representatives from organizations that stand up for Palestinians and their rights, such as American Muslims for Palestine and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Wesley Lebron, a Puerto Rican imam, and humanitarian activist will also be speaking, along with Madelyn Hoffman, a governor candidate for the Green Party and great-grandniece of Holocaust survivors. Additional parking will be available at the Parsippany Police Athletic League.

The event is being coordinated by four Morris County juniors: Nicole Piccininni, Noor Zaman, Sumaiya Rehman, and Medina Kandil in partnership with the Respect My Life foundation.

The organizers believe that efforts like this are necessary for bringing awareness to the cause and fighting for justice. For more information, contact: Noor Zaman, (973) 234-3426, nooruaz19@gmail.com.

Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting for May 19, 2021

Frank L. Cahill
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Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting for May 19, 2021

PARSIPPANY — Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting for May 19, 2021

Click here to download the agenda.

Parsippany-Troy Hills Well 20 – Green Acres Public Meeting – May 13, 2021

Frank L. Cahill
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Parsippany-Troy Hills Well 20 – Green Acres Public Meeting – May 13, 2021

PARSIPPANY — Parsippany-Troy Hills Well 20 – Green Acres Public Meeting – May 13, 2021

DePaço’s Donates to Police Unity Tour

Frank L. Cahill
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DePaço’s Donates to Police Unity Tour

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Surrogate Heather Darling and Deputy Surrogate Chris Luongo presented plaques to Caesar and Deanna DePaço in recognition of the DePaço’s generous donations, both personally and through their business Summit Nutritionals International, to the Police Unity Tour.

The DePaços are long-standing supporters of law enforcement, having donated dozens of police K-9s to departments throughout New Jersey, Florida, and elsewhere. In addition, the DePaço’s have donated beds, food, and other supplies in an effort to support law enforcement officers in their efforts to serve and protect the public.

Morris County Surrogate Heather Darling will be riding in the annual Police Unity Tour, currently scheduled to take place in October 2021 after being canceled last year and rescheduled from May to October 2021. Darling has publicly supported law enforcement for years and is a member of the 200 Club of Morris County and IAPSNJ (Italian American Police Society of NJ), and past contributor to the Blue Magazine and Blue Magazine Radio.

According to the Police Unity Tour website, in 1997, Florham Park Police Officer Patrick Montuore conceived of a four-day, 310 mile, bicycle ride from New Jersey to Washington, DC to raise public awareness about law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty, and to ensure that their sacrifice is never forgotten. Montuore’s vision is now known as the Police Unity Tour. The secondary purpose of the Police Unity Tour is to raise funds for the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial.

Chemical Leak At Zimmer Biomet

Frank L. Cahill
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Chemical Leak At Zimmer Biomet

PARSIPPANY — It has been reported that four patients were treated for contamination and one hospitalized after a hazardous chemical leak at Zimmer Biomet, 10 Pomery Road.

The Morris County Haz-Mat unit responded with several Parsippany-Troy Hills Volunteer Fire Department 6, Parsippany-Troy Hills Volunteer Fire District 5, EMS crews, and the Morris County Medical Ambulance shortly before 3:00 p.m.,  on Thursday afternoon.

(Click here to read a similar story)

Letter to the Editor: 2021 Republican Primary – A Choice for the Future

Letters to the Editor
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parsippany focusDear Editor:

The Republican Primary to be held on Tuesday, June 8, includes Jamie Barberio and Lou Valori for Parsippany Mayor. Parsippany has a choice to make about the future of the town.

First, let us start with the major accomplishments of the two candidates.

Lou’s greatest accomplishment while serving on the Town Council was to decrease from 5 minutes to 3 minutes the ability of the citizens of Parsippany to address the Town Council about their concerns or issues. Lou did not want people speaking if they did not agree with his positions, he could not silence them but he could limit their ability to speak. Lou would also speak over people, cut them off, or question them while they were speaking to diminish their already truncated 3 minutes. This is all recorded on the Town Council videos.

Leadership is the ability to use an example, evidence, logic, and fact to bring people who may disagree with you or be on the fence to your side of an issue. Lou has never demonstrated any of these skills. People who don’t tow Lou’s party line are to be dismissed, detoured, and discouraged from speaking up or even worse organizing others against the party position. Lou did not want to let anyone lead others into opposition to his positions with skills he did not possess. Overall Lou supports his financial backers over the average citizens of Parsippany.

What about Jamie Barberio? Jamie’s greatest accomplishment in public office was to turn the town over to political parasite John Inglesino. While Jamie went around town shaking hands, John went through Town Hall shaking down the Town. While Town Attorney every action in the Town was reviewed and analyzed by Ingelsino’s law firm, along with corresponding billing hours, to bleed the Town of every possible penny. John would come to Town Council meetings and address not legal issues, but political issues, assisting Lou in suppressing people voicing their thoughts. John was not the Town Attorney, he was the Administration’s Attorney. US District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia Amy Berman Jackson, recently ruled that former Attorney General Bill Barr lied to Congress, the court, and the country. Bill Barr served not as US Attorney General for We The People, he served as the former President’s personal attorney. Here in Parsippany John did not serve We The People, he served first himself, then the Town Administration. John’s opinion was like Marie-Antoinette’s (bride of France’s King Louis XVI), “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”—“Let them eat cake.”

Parasites, like hemoglobin-sucking annelids (segmented worms without a backbone, ex. leeches) feed off the lifeblood of a host and weaken the host. Political parasites feed off the tax dollars of the town and weaken the Town. After the 2017 election where the people of Parsippany sent Lou and Jamie packing, I went to their least Town Council meeting and told them part of the reason they were removed was their fealty to the parasite. On Tuesday, May 4, Jamie held a first $900 per-person fundraiser at Nero’s Grille in Livingston, note Livingston, not Parsippany. The gathering featuring a prime rib dinner included John Inglesino hoping to return to
feed on the Town.
Bob Crawford wrote in Parsippany Focus that “based on his past failed record, (defined by incompetence, indifference, and self-interest), is unable to raise financial support from Parsippany voters and so has to return to the corporate fat cats who used Parsippany as their personal ATM’s during the years he was Mayor.

A serving of prime rib may have cost the likes of Johnny I and his ilk only $900 a plate, but should Jamie win, Parsippany residents will be paying off the inevitable “pay to play” tab off for years to come.”

Robert Blake in an email to Parsippany Focus said “Barberio held the first event as a mayoral candidate is a high-dollar fundraiser located in Essex County. It makes me wonder how passionate he is about taking this seat back from the Mayor he lost it to in 2017, Parsippany businesses are hurting as a result of the pandemic. We have a multitude of options right here in the township that would suit any type of political event. Hosting his kickoff event in Livingston is a slap in the face to the hardworking business owners of Parsippany who have been hanging by a thread for over a year now.” Seems I’m not the only person to notice.

In the Republican Primary on Tuesday, June 8, moving forward there is only one choice for Parsippany Town Mayor between Jamie Barberio and Lou Valori: Michael Soriano

Brian Tappen

Seat Belt Enforcement and Education Campaign to be Conducted

Frank L. Cahill
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Seat Belt Enforcement and Education Campaign to be Conducted

PARSIPPANY — Law enforcement officers from the Parsippany Police Department will join with police from around the country in cracking down on unbuckled motorists and passengers as part of the national “Click it or Ticket” campaign.

Beginning May 24 and running through June 6, the annual “Click It or Ticket” national mobilization utilizes high visibility seat belt checkpoints and saturation patrols, in combination with local and national publicity efforts, to reiterate the life-saving value of seat belts.

“Using a seat belt is the simplest way for motor vehicle occupants to protect themselves on the road,” said Eric Heitmann, Director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “Crash statistics show that in 2017 alone, seat belt use saved nearly 15,000 lives nationally.”

In New Jersey, a key focus of this year’s Click It or Ticket campaign is to promote seat belt usage by adults in all seating positions in the vehicle, both front AND rear seats. The front seat belt usage rate in New Jersey currently stands at 90.23%. However, adults riding in rear seats are buckling up at a significantly lower rate, only 48% according to the most recent surveys.

“For whatever reason, there seems to be a disconnect with people feeling they don’t need to buckle up when riding as passengers in rear seats, and this is a concern,” Heitmann said. “By promoting back seat usage of seat belts during our Click It or Ticket campaign, we’re encouraging passenger habits that will save lives.”

2020 Click It or Ticket mobilization was canceled due to the Covid public health emergency. During the 2019 Click it or Ticket campaign, 343 New Jersey police agencies participated in the two-week initiative. As a result of the effort, law enforcement officers issued 14,548 seat belt citations, 5,670 speeding summonses, and made 858 impaired driving arrests.

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