Mayor James Barberio declares re-election bid in Parsippany; seeking fourth term
PARSIPPANY − To no one's surprise, Mayor James Barberio officially kicked off his bid for re-election at a campaign event Wednesday night at the Knoll East.
What remains to be seen is the outcome of what appears to be a battle royale between the incumbent and his frequent foil over the past three years − first-term Councilman Justin Musella − leading into the June Republican primary.
Speaking before a standing-room-only crowd of supporters and Morris County Republican leaders at the municipally-owned Knoll East Golf Club Bar and Grill, Barberio was moved by the turnout.
"I gotta tell you, I'm overwhelmed in my heart right now with everybody that is here," Barberio said. "This is really amazing. I have a pretty long speech that I'm going to cut short because I don't know if I can get through it."
Barberio, 64, is seeking a fourth term in office, after being elected in 2009 and 2013, losing in 2017 and winning again in 2021. He also announced his ticket on a ballot that includes two council seats: Frank Neglia, who ran with Barberio in 2021, and Jigar Shah, who Barberio appointed during his first term as the mayor's liaison to the large Indian community in town.
The mayor touted his roots − he grew up in town − and his experience as reasons why he deserves another four years.
"[Voters in 2017] took a chance electing someone with no experience, who was incompetent and couldn't run the town," said Barberio of Michael Soriano, the Democrat who beat him in 2017. "Don't make that same mistake twice, because I'm running against somebody very similar right now."
Musella, 33, was elected with Barberio and Neglia, and has repeatedly clashed with Barberio and the GOP council majority since they took office in January 2022, pushing back against the passage of several tax breaks awarded developers − known as PILOTs, or payment in lieu of taxes − and project labor agreements tying larger unions to big municipal projects.
Now, their long-expected showdown is official. Musella reacted to Barberio's announcement, saying he had expected it would be "just Mayor Baberio screwing the taxpayers once again with more Inglesino-led PILOTs at the expense of our residents and schools."
Musella was referring to the controversial former township attorney John Inglesino, whose perceived influence during Barberio's first two terms in office became a campaign issue that followed the mayor in 2017. Inglesino, a former Rockaway Township mayor and Morris County Freeholder (now Commissioner), is also a prominent land-use attorney who represents several of the developers who obtained PILOTs from Barberio and a supportive council majority that includes Neglia and Matt McGrath.
Inglesino was among the GOP VIPs in an audience that included Assemblymen Jay Webber and Brian Bergen, who represent Parsippany in the 26th District. So was Morris County Clerk Ann Grossi, a former Parsippany councilwoman, Sheriff James Gannon and the entire county Commisioner Board.
"You have seven commissioners here," Commissioner Director Tyfun Selen said. "You don't get seven commissioners at commissioner meetings!"
Perhaps the most surprising guest speaker was Parsippany Board of Education Vice President Andrew Choffo, who previously clashed with Barberio at public meetings while serving as board president. Choffo also introduced Musella, 33, when the councilman held his own campaign kickoff in June.
"You may recognize me because in June of last year, I spoke for the other guy," Choffo said. "The best way I can say it, it was kind of a new shiny penny effect. There was the calling out of problems, but no solutions offered for them.
"The one thing I can say about Mayor Barberio, in the 20 years I've known him, is that he is a solution finder. He will solve the problems that confront Parsippany."
Barberio has also found a new supporter in Morris County Republican Chair Laura Ali, who previously supported Musella, dismissing Barberio as "the highest-paid and least-qualified mayor in Morris County."
But last month, Ali called for Musella to abandon his run for mayor and accept a council nomination.
"The 2025 election cycle poses significant challenges, and I strongly believe a united front is essential for ensuring Republican success in the general election," Ali wrote in a letter to the candidates.
Musella responded to Ali's offer by saying: "Our campaign to end the cycle of corruption, over-taxation and taxpayer-funded overdevelopment in Parsippany, once and for all, cannot be intimidated."
No other candidates have filed for mayor or the two open council positions on the ballot this year. Judy Hernandez, the lone Democrat on the council, said to expect her party to announce an election slate soon.
Democrats have historically struggled to win and hold council seats in the county's largest municipality. But Barberio is the only Parsippany Republican to win the mayor's office in more than 30 years, and only one of two GOP elected to the office in nearly half a century
Republican Frank Priore was removed from office after 12 years following his conviction on mail fraud, bribery and other charges in 1994. Priore served a five-year sentence. He died in 2022.
Democrat Mimi Letts then served from 1994 to 2005, when she declined to run for another term. Letts died in 2019.
Priore was preceded by Democrat Jack Fahy, who served from 1974 to 1982, when Priore unseated him. Fahy succeeded Democrat Henry Luther, who was in office from 1966 to 1974. Luther declined to run for re-election in 1973.
Luther's son, Michael Luther, also a Democrat, succeeded Letts before losing his re-election bid to Barberio in 2009. Barberio won re-election in 2013, but lost his bid for a third term to Soriano in 2017. Barberio returned the favor in 2021, beating Soriano in their rematch.
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Mayor James Barberio declares re-election bid in Parsippany
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