PARSIPPANY — On Saturday, February 7, Parsippany-Troy Hills Mayor Pulkit Desai and Parsippany-Troy Hills Council Vice President Diya Patel joined residents at the Parsippany Library to celebrate the Lunar New Year, welcoming the Year of the Horse with vibrant cultural performances, festive traditions, and a strong spirit of community.

The event brought together families, students, and community members to experience time-honored Lunar New Year customs, including music, dance, and symbolic decorations representing good fortune, strength, and renewal. Attendees enjoyed an afternoon that highlighted the rich cultural diversity of Parsippany while creating opportunities for learning and connection.

Mayor Desai and Councilwoman Patel greeted residents throughout the program, expressing appreciation for the library’s role as a welcoming gathering place and for the community members who helped organize and participate in the celebration. The event underscored Parsippany’s ongoing commitment to inclusion and cultural understanding, values reflected in the township’s many community-based programs.

Library staff and volunteers played a key role in hosting the celebration, ensuring an engaging and family-friendly atmosphere for all ages. As the Year of the Horse begins, the event served as a meaningful reminder of the importance of unity, tradition, and shared celebration within the Parsippany community.

PPARSIPPANY — Dr. Trivikrama Reddy, a Parsippany resident, Senior Staff Engineer in Product Development at BD, and longtime Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology, recently completed a meaningful humanitarian project benefiting the tribal village of Rangaseela in Andhra Pradesh, India.

With more than two decades of industrial experience, a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering, and an MBA from NJIT, Dr. Reddy brings together technical expertise, leadership, and a deep commitment to service. Those qualities were on full display during his recent trip to India, where he personally funded and inaugurated a gravity-operated water plant designed to deliver clean water from distant hills directly to the tribal community.

The new infrastructure now provides reliable access to clean water, significantly improving public health, daily living conditions, and overall quality of life for hundreds of villagers. The project received enthusiastic local support and was covered by regional television outlets, underscoring its social impact and importance.

Community members expressed heartfelt gratitude for the life-changing improvement, reflecting the strong bond forged between Dr. Reddy and the villagers he served.

Through this initiative, Dr. Reddy continues to demonstrate how engineering-driven solutions can address real-world challenges, while embodying the values of compassion, responsibility, and global citizenship—both as a professional and as a proud Parsippany resident.

PARSIPPANY — Parsippany taxpayers learned an expensive lesson before the new Mayor even had a chance to take office.

On December 21, 2025—days before a new administration was set to begin—the Township executed a separation agreement with then-Business Administrator Jamie Cryan that guaranteed him six months of pay, totaling $94,860, effective upon his departure on January 6, 2026.

Six months.

That figure should raise eyebrows, particularly because New Jersey law places a clear limit on severance payments to municipal administrators. N.J.S.A. 40A:9-138 caps such payouts at three months’ salary. Curiously, that statute is nowhere cited or discussed in the agreement itself.

Instead, the agreement openly concedes that Cryan was paid in excess of statutory limits in exchange for a release of claims. Translated into plain English, Parsippany taxpayers paid an extra three months of salary—approximately $47,000—to buy peace.

The obvious question is: peace from what?

Jamie Cryan was an at-will administrator who served entirely at the pleasure of the governing body. There has been no public disclosure—none—of any discrimination claim, retaliation claim, whistleblower allegation, or other legally cognizable grievance that would expose the Township to liability.

That matters, because New Jersey law is unambiguous. An at-will municipal administrator may be terminated for any reason or for no reason at all, including nothing more than a newly elected Mayor and Council wanting leadership aligned with their own priorities. That is not controversial. It is the job description.

Yet Parsippany paid as though it were settling serious legal exposure, without ever identifying what that exposure supposedly was. The separation agreement was signed by Former Mayor James Barberio just days before his last day in office.

The timing only deepens the concern. The agreement was executed before the incoming Mayor and Council took office, effectively tying their hands and locking in a generous payout to the ousted Mayor’s departing political ally before voters’ choices could take effect. One wonders what urgency justified rushing this deal through the door.

Perhaps residents should not be surprised. This is, after all, the same Mayor whose own unsuccessful legal efforts to reclaim an office he lost at the ballot box reportedly cost the Township significant sums. When public funds are treated casually, six-figure goodbye checks begin to look less like aberrations and more like standard operating procedure.

The agreement itself includes no admission of wrongdoing by either side and contains an extraordinarily broad release of virtually every conceivable employment-related claim under state and federal law. What it does not include is any explanation to the taxpayers as to why paying double the statutory cap was necessary, prudent, or even defensible.

Ramon Rivera, the labor attorney who represented the Township at the time the agreement was executed, did not return Parsippany Focus’s request for comment.

Until someone does, taxpayers are left with a simple question: if the law caps severance at three months, and there was no apparent legal threat, why did Parsippany pay for six?

Cryan was originally hired as Parsippany Business Administrator on January 9, 2023.

PARSIPPANY — Legislation advancing in Trenton could change how future redevelopment projects using Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) support local school districts — but it would not affect any PILOT agreements already in place.

The New Jersey Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee recently advanced Senate Bill S-1807, sponsored by Senators Troy Singleton and Benjie Wimberly. The bill would require municipalities entering into new PILOT agreements to either share a portion of the revenue with their local school districts or enter into an agreement with the developer to fund school-related projects.

Importantly for Parsippany and other municipalities, the legislation is prospective only. Existing PILOT agreements would remain unchanged and would not be reopened or renegotiated under the bill.

What the Bill Would Do

Under S-1807, when a municipality considers and approves a new property tax exemption, it would be required to:

• Share a portion of the PILOT revenue with the school district or
• Reach an agreement with the developer to provide direct, in-kind support or special projects benefiting the school district

The legislation is intended to address concerns that PILOT agreements, while encouraging redevelopment, can divert revenue that would otherwise support local schools.

How Revenue Sharing Would Work

If municipalities choose to remit funds rather than pursue an alternative agreement, the amount shared would depend on the type of development:

• Residential projects:
  The contribution would be based on the number of school-aged children living in the project multiplied by the state’s per-pupil funding amount.
• Nonresidential or mixed-use projects:
  The required contribution would equal five percent of the PILOT payment, or an in-kind contribution of equal value.

In all cases, the amount shared with school districts could not exceed the percentage they would normally receive from property tax revenue.

Added Transparency Requirements

The bill also includes new notification requirements. Municipalities would be required to provide notice to county officials, local school districts, and the New Jersey Division of Local Government Services when a property tax exemption is being considered and approved.

Why It Matters Locally

Supporters of the legislation say the goal is balance — encouraging redevelopment while ensuring school districts remain financially stable, particularly in communities experiencing growth tied to new housing.

For Parsippany residents, the key takeaway is that existing PILOT agreements are unaffected, but future projects could include new mechanisms to ensure local schools benefit alongside redevelopment.

The bill must still advance through the full legislative process before becoming law.

PARSIPPANY — Parsippany-Troy Hills Mayor Pulkit Desai, in partnership with the Islamic Community Cultural Center, is inviting residents to attend a Welcoming Ramadan Ceremony on Monday, February 17, at 5:00 p.m. at Parsippany Town Hall.

The event is open to the entire community and is intended to foster unity, understanding, and cultural appreciation as the holy month of Ramadan begins. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the significance of Ramadan, reflect on its themes of compassion and generosity, and connect with neighbors in a welcoming, inclusive setting.

Mayor Desai emphasized the importance of celebrating Parsippany’s diversity and bringing residents together through shared community experiences. The Islamic Community Cultural Center also expressed its appreciation for the township’s continued support and engagement.

Residents are encouraged to attend and take part in this meaningful community gathering.

RSVP: www.ic3nj.com/ramadan

The Morris County Park Commission is seeking $1.75 million in funding through the New Jersey Green Acres Program to advance Phase II of the Boonton Reservoir Trail project, a large-scale recreational and conservation initiative that includes significant portions within Parsippany-Troy Hills Township.

The proposed trail is located on the approximately 1,200-acre Boonton Reservoir property, which is owned by Jersey City and spans both Boonton and Parsippany. Once completed, the trail will provide public access to land that has historically been closed to residents, while preserving environmentally sensitive areas surrounding the reservoir.

Phase I of the project, which is already underway, includes roughly 2.5 miles of natural and stone-surfaced trail. Phase II — the focus of the Green Acres grant application — would add approximately 1.8 miles of new trail improvements designed to enhance accessibility and safety for users.

Planned enhancements include elevated boardwalks through wetland areas, pedestrian bridges over streams and drainage channels, trail-side benches, and a new parking area to improve access from Greenbank Road, a key entry point for Parsippany residents.

According to project materials, the trail is intended to balance recreation with environmental stewardship, protecting water quality while expanding passive outdoor recreation opportunities such as walking, hiking, and nature observation.

As part of the Green Acres application process, public input is being collected through a community engagement survey, which will be submitted alongside the grant request.

If awarded, the funding would help move the project closer to completion, creating a new regional amenity that connects open space, promotes healthy outdoor activity, and enhances public access to one of Morris County’s most significant natural resources.