PARSIPPANY — Parsippany resident Sean Ries is a brave 10-year-old warrior, waging a battle against pediatric brain cancer since 2012. After a two-phase surgery under the care of a team of doctors at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, Sean has received “active surveillance”, meaning MRIs at MSKCC every three months to watch for any changes.  Unfortunately, in February his family received the heartbreaking news that Sean’s cancer has returned, exactly five years after his initial diagnosis.

Sean once again faces surgery at MSKCC with his trusted team of doctors.  He also again has the support of the community, who is rallying around Sean and the Ries family through TEAM Sean (Together Everyone Achieves Miracles) and a series of fundraisers this June.  Proceeds from the fundraisers will help support Sean and his family with medical expenses as well as donated to the Children’s Brain Tumor Family Foundation, a registered 501(c)3.

Warrior Yoga, the next fundraiser, will be taking place on Sunday, June 4 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Parsippany PAL at 33 Baldwin Road. Enjoy a night of strength, focus, and relaxation led by Parsippany mom, Ankita Roelofs.

Additionally, participants can shop with local representatives from companies like Thirty-One, Rodan & Fields, Jazzercise, Young Living Essential Oils, Touchstone Crystals, LuLaRue and more.  All will be making donations back to TEAMSean.

Registration for the event is $20.00 and can be completed through by clicking here.  The event site can also process donations. Contact Ankita Roelofs at Amc927@yahoo.com for additional information.

PARSIPPANY — The MOMS Clubs of Parsippany East and West held a joint open house and children’s yoga class at the Parsippany Main Library on May 5.  Over thirty children and thirty adults were in attendance, with many of the younger guests participating in a lively yoga class conducted by Ankita Roelofs, herself a former member of the MOMS Club of Parsippany West.

Caregivers were able to connect over refreshments both before and after the class.

The MOMS Clubs of Parsippany East and West are chapters of the International MOMS Club, a non-profit organization focused on Moms Offering Moms Support.  Its mission is to offer support and enriching activities to both mothers and their children.  Activities include organized family friendly outings; various activity groups for both children and moms; moms’ nights out; and monthly service projects to benefit both children in need and the larger community.  Members represent a diverse group and all moms are welcome.

Didn’t make the open house but still want to learn about MOMS Club chapters in Parsippany?

If you live in Parsippany with children who attend or will attend Troy Hills, Lake Hiawatha, Northvail, Knollwood, or Rockaway Meadow schools, email parsippanymomsclubeast@gmail.com  or click here.

Those whose children attend or will attend Intervale, Mount Tabor, Lake Parsippany, Eastlake, and Littleton schools should email parsippanymomsclubwest@gmail.com or click here.

Both chapters can also be found on their public Facebook pages.

PARSIPPANY — Pequannock Township Municipal Judge John A. Paparazzo failed to find probable cause on the criminal charges filed against Mayor James Barberio and Business Administrator Ellen Sandman, stating that Mr. Brennan should have filed a hearing with the Civil Service Commission.

“The judge exerted the truth regarding the criminal complaint. He wasn’t going to enforce it because he claims it should have been filed with the Civil Service Commission. They are watering down every check and balance citizens had in place to hold government officials accountable. Christ Christie controls the prosecutors, judges and attorney general, we need the system to be held accountable and enforceable,” said Bill Brennan.

He also said “John Inglesino is the ultimate target in the series of criminal charges that I commenced against Parsippany officials. Inglesino is a criminal and I invite him to sue me for slander, defamation and libel because I have said it, I have implied it and I have put it in writing. I welcome the subpoena power that such a lawsuit would confer upon me.”

Mayor James Barberio and Business Administrator Ellen Sandman did not attend the Monday hearing. Attorney Vij Pawar, representing the duo, addressed the court.

Previous, Parsippany Court Administrator Al Leal referred the probable cause hearing to Morristown Municipal Court. At that time, Parsippany Focus contacted Mr. Pawar, who refused to take our call, but we left a message with his secretary, reminding Mr. Pawar, that would be a conflict of interest to hold the hearing in Morristown Municipal Court, since his partner is the Morristown Prosecutor.  Mr. Pawar never returned our telephone call. The the hearing was sent to Lincoln Park Municipal Court, but the Judge also determined there was a conflict of interest, so the hearing was then sent to Pequannock Municipal Court.

The criminal charges were filed in Parsippany Municipal Court on Friday, April 7 by Democratic activist and candidate for governor Bill Brennan. The charges stem from two employees hired in violation of Parsippany’s White Collar Salary Ordinance.

Ramona J. Ortiz was hired on December 5, 2016 as a Keyboarding Clerk 1, at an annual salary of $54,000. The salary ordinance for white-collar workers, specifically Keyboarding Clerk 1, Ordinance 2016:22 states the salary is a minimum of $17,000 with a maximum of $48,000. She was hired at $6,000 more than the maximum amount allowed by Township Ordinance.

Eugene Natoli was hired on December 19, 2016 as a Keyboarding Clerk 1, at an annual salary of $50,000. The salary ordinance for white-collar workers, specifically Keyboarding Clerk 1, Ordinance 2016:22 states the salary is a minimum of $17,000 with a maximum of $48,000. He was hired at $2,000 more than the maximum amount allowed by Township Ordinance. 

Bill Brennan stated “My criminal charge in Parsippany has resulted in odd behavior by the municipal court system. Before sending the case to Morristown Municipal Court for a probable cause determination, the Parsippany Municipal Court set a first appearance for the defendants in Superior Court for April 19. This caused media inquiries to the Superior Court regarding status. In response the Superior Court was perplexed because no paperwork had been received from either Parsippany or Morristown.”

During the delay in hearing the probable cause, Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Council scheduled an “special” meeting, on April 11, to pass an ordinance to change the White Color Salary Ordinance (Click here to read story: Cover Up Of A Crime? Salary Ordinance Revised; 3-2 Vote on First Reading). Council President Louis Valori, Councilman Michael dePierro and Councilwoman Loretta Gragnani approved the Ordinance on First Reading. Council Vice President Robert Peluso and Councilman Paul Carifi, Jr. voted against the ordinance.

The Ordinance was approved 3-2 on final reading at Regular Council meeting held on Tuesday, April 25.

The Ordinance, #2017:05, shall be retroactive to January 1, 2017 for all employees active on the date of introduction of this ordinance. The salary in this ordinance for Keyboarding Clerk 1 will have a minimum starting salary of $17,000 annually to $55,000 annually. (Note: A copy of the Ordinance was not available to the public during the special meeting, Parsippany Focus obtained a copy through Open Public Records Act (OPRA). Click here to see the complete White Collar Salary ranges.

“I find it kind-of comical that we had to have this special meeting, at the last second, right after this gentlemen who you claim files this bogus claim,” Councilman Paul Carifi told Parsippany Focus. “Again, the mayor hired these people at a higher rate than what the salary ordinance allows. That is a fact. This is a knee-jerk reaction, as usual, by the mayor.”

“I’m voting with my conscience, no,” Council Vice President Robert Peluso said.

Brennan said the municipal court did not give him satisfaction, he will file a new complaint that left out the civil service violation, a fourth-degree crime, and charge them with official misconduct.

“The judge didn’t do any favors for the defendants because he created a new paradigm in which fourth-degree crimes have to be processed by an administrative agency,” Brennan said. “But if he wants to do that, then all the elements of official misconduct are met by their charges, and I’m just going to go back and charge him with official misconduct for violating the municipal ordinance. I was trying to be decent to them. I didn’t want to put them in jail for five years. But if the judge doesn’t want this big fourth-degree crime, then he’s related them to a five-year mandatory minimum.”

Editor’s Note: Parsippany Resident Bob Venezia presented the following facts during the Council Meeting of Monday, May 22.

A little known and even less publicized feature of the affordable housing rules is the concept of Urban Aid Municipalities as defined by the state legislature. The 46 Urban Aid Municipalities are home to 30% of New Jersey’s population, and they contribute heavily to the number of affordable housing units needed at the state and regional level. However, they are under no obligation to actually build affordable housing units, so their obligation must be absorbed by the remaining 70% of the state. In Morris County, which lies in region 2, affordable housing quotas are inflated by at least 40% because of the Urban Aid Municipality exemption.

PARSIPPANY — Two weeks before the June primary, news broke on Tuesday that Morris County Deputy Freeholder Director John Cesaro has been ineligible to practice law since October 21, 2016 but still continued to handle cases. Cesaro is a Chief Prosecutor in Parsippany, and also serves in Essex Fells, Hanover, North Caldwell and Rockaway Township.

Incumbent Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce, one of Cesaro’s opponent in the primary released a statement and a link to the state Supreme Court order saying Cesaro had been administratively ineligible since October 2016 over his failure to register for the Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA). Attorneys are required to register annually with the IOLTA fund (Rule 1:28A).

Since 1989, the IOLTA Fund has awarded grants of more than $400 million to Legal Services of New Jersey, the New Jersey State Bar Foundation and 134 other non-profit, 501(c) 3 organizations. The grants provide funding for free legal services to low-income people with civil legal problems, improvement in the administration of justice and education about the law.

“If true, this is an outrageous breach of trust by someone being paid by property taxpayers to represent the legal interests of multiple municipalities and citizens,” DeCroce said in a press release. “Freeholder Cesaro needs to come clean and explain why he is on this list and whether he disclosed his ineligible status to any of the elected officials in the towns where he has public contracts and was practicing law.”

John Cesaro told Parsippany Focus he registers every year but he apparently failed to do so last year. He wasn’t aware of his ineligibility until DeCroce contacted newspapers and some of his supporters.

Cesaro’s license is otherwise in good standing and ineligibility is not equivalent to being suspended, which was confirmed by the State Office of Attorney Ethics, according to the Daily Record. He also is up to date with his annual, $212 fee to the Lawyer’s Fund for Client Protection.

“It must have been a clerical error,” he said. “It was not an ethics issue, not a disciplinary issue.”

After finding out his status, Cesaro contacted the fund and filled out the appropriate paperwork.

“I got to thank my opponent for bringing this to my attention,” Cesaro said. “If I were her, I would focus on this, too. It takes the attention away from the fact that she voted with the Democrats for the 157-percent gas tax increase.”

According to the Daily Record, IOLTA Fund Executive Director Catherine Ferrise stated Cesaro resolved the issue and was expect to return to the active attorney list.
At the time this article was published, Parsippany Focus checked with the New Jersey Court website, NJ Attorney Detail and Mr. Cesaro’s license is active.

Cesaro also called DeCroce’s statement “her Hail Mary attempt to try win an election.”

Both 26th District Assembly seats – one occupied by DeCroce, the second by Jay Webber – are available this year. Cesaro and fellow Morris County Freeholder William “Hank” Lyon are both running for the seats and have specifically targeted DeCroce.

On Wednesday, it was reported that DeCroce filed a lawsuit in Morris County Superior Court claiming Lyon is violating state election finance laws.

On May 8, Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Mayor James Barberio submitted a resolution to the Township Council to approve Cesaro as the Chief Municipal Prosecutor of Parsippany Municipal Court. (Click here to view Resolution 2017-68). Also on May 8, Resolution 2017-69 was presented to the Township Council to appoint Doug Cabana as Municipal Prosecutor. (Click here to view Resolution 2017-69). The township council approved both resolutions, based on the due diligence is completed by the Township Attorney, Township Clerk and Business Administrator.  Parsippany Focus submitted an OPRA request for copies of the Professional Services Agreement.

Click here for a complete list of the 1,320 Attorneys not in Compliance with Rule 1:28A for 2016.