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2 days ago
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Morris County election results: Parsippany mayor survives challenge in heated GOP primary
PARSIPPANY — Mayor James Barberio appears to have emerged as the victor in one of the most contentious local primaries in recent Morris County memory. Unofficial results from the township clerk on Tuesday night showed Barberio leading Councilman Justin Musella by about 600 votes to secure the Republican nomination and a spot on the November ballot as he seeks his fourth term in office. As of 10 p.m., those returns showed Barberio ahead by a count of 3,115 to 2,559. That was enough for Musella to leave his campaign headquarters to congratulate Barberio at his watch party at the Lake Parsippany Clubhouse."I said we have to get behind him and beat the Democrats in November," Musella said. Those uncertified results also showed Barberio's council running makes — incumbent Frank Neglia and Jigar Shah —ahead of Musella's council slate of Casey Parikh and John Bielen. Neglia had 2,939 votes, followed by Shah (2,413), Bielen (2,371) and Parikh (2,151). The county clerk must certify election results by June 23. Barberio's next challenge will be a faceoff with Democratic candidate Pulkit Desai, whose ticket was unchallenged in the primary. The winner will claim the office of the only full-time mayor in Morris County, leading a municipality of almost 60,000 residents. "I gave it my all, and the voters chose otherwise," Musella said. "I have to respect that outcome and honor my words to support him if I lost. I told my supporters the same thing." Barberio, who has served three non-consecutive terms in office so far, could not immediately be reached for comment. The race saw prominent supporters change sides in recent months. Several Board of Education members initially signaled support for Musella. They were angered by tax breaks known as PILOTs — payments in lieu of taxes — that allegedly shortchanged the school district. Then-board president Andrew Choffo introduced Musella at his campaign kickoff last June, which was also attended by state Sen. Jon Bramnick, who's seeking the GOP nod for governor. An incensed Barberio promised an audit of Board of Education finances last September, though he recently stated that review was "on hold." Musella also had early support from Morris County Republican Committee Chair Laura Ali, who withheld an endorsement of Barberio in 2021 when he ran in a rematch with Soriano. This time around, Ali again refused to back Barberio, branding him "the highest paid and least qualified mayor in Morris County." More: See North Jersey 2025 primary results for Bergen, Essex, Passaic and Morris counties But in January, Ali switched sides and got behind the mayor. She said she wanted to end the feud and gear up for a competitive general election in November. "The 2025 election cycle poses significant challenges, and I strongly believe a united front is essential for ensuring Republican success," Ali wrote in a letter to both mayoral candidates. She offered to back Musella for council if he withdrew from the mayor's race. Musella said no. "Our campaign to end the cycle of corruption, over-taxation and taxpayer-funded overdevelopment in Parsippany, once and for all, cannot be intimidated," the challenger declared. Musella first ran for a council seat in the 2021 primary with the county committee-endorsed Louis Valori for mayor. Valori lost, but Musella secured a council nomination and joined Frank Neglia on a Barberio slate that swept into office that November. Ali wasn't the only turnaround. Choffo surprised many when he switched sides and backed Barberio at the mayor's campaign announcement in February. Weeks later, Barberio announced he had reached an agreement with the school board on how to share the PILOT revenue and ensure the district receives its expected funds. Another controversy arose when Barberio announced in a campaign video that he had reached an agreement for a memorandum of understanding between Town Hall and the school board on revenue sharing, negotiated with Choffo. Within hours, current board President Alison Cogan issued a statement saying no agreement had been signed and that the mayor's pronouncement was "inaccurate." Barberio responded by insisting he and Choffo had come to terms and blamed the board for not acting on "this historic agreement that would greatly benefit our students, teachers, and school system." Two board members, Tim Berrios and Jack Raia, remained public supporters of the Musella campaign. This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Morris County election results: Parsippany mayor survives GOP primary
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4 days ago
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Parsippany mayor race pitting change vs. experience heads to finish in Tuesday primary
PARSIPPANY — One Republican offers the experience he says is needed to run Morris County's biggest town. Another offers a youthful perspective that he says will break a pattern of overtaxation and overdevelopment. Both have sniped, shouted and hurled public accusations for nearly four years, since they took office together in 2022. As their conflict escalated, members of the township school board and the county GOP Committee have taken sides — and then switched. Their inevitable showdown will arrive with the primary election on Tuesday, June 10, when voters in the town of almost 60,000 people will choose either incumbent James Barberio or Councilman Justin Musella. The winner gets the Republican nomination for the county's only full-time mayor's office and a faceoff with Democratic candidate Pulkit Desai. While supporters of both Republicans continue to sound off on social media, the Barberio and Musella tickets are still knocking on doors to engage voters. Each has expressed confidence in victory, though no public polls have been released. Morris County races: A few votes can swing a ward race. Morris County has a few wild ones in 2025 Who's running, how to vote: Our complete guide to voting, governor candidates, local races On May 28, more than 100 Musella supporters braved heavy rains to gather under a gazebo for a rally at Veterans Memorial Park. The 33-year-old thanked his enthusiastic, rain-soaked followers. "You know, it's becoming a theme, where no matter the weather, no matter the event, we can produce a crowd," he said. "Ultimately, our movement is fueled by people like you. Ordinary people who are sick and tired of being sick and tired when they look at Town Hall and see the decisions that are being made." "We have 13 days to go before we turn the page in our history," Musella continued. "And I truly believe we have the wind beneath our sails. But the only way we get across the finish line is if each of us helps to move the ball forward." On June 2, Barberio campaigned in Lake Intervale, one of the smaller neighborhoods in town. His running mates, township council candidates Frank Neglia and Jigar Shah, had been seen on multiple occasions canvassing the community. Barberio, 64, leaned on his familiarity with the many individual neighborhoods in Parsippany, and their familiarity with him. "Most of you already know me here," said the mayor, who is seeking his fourth non-consecutive term. "And I know you have a lot of questions." Much of the discussion was about New Jersey's affordable housing mandate and its impact on Parsippany, where thousands of residential units are already under construction, with more to come. Like many incumbents in North Jersey, Barberio argued he was powerless to fight the mandate in the courts. He said he has focused instead on killing two birds with one proverbial stone: demolishing vacant office properties no longer generating good tax payments and replacing them with housing that will satisfy the mandate. Barberio took the issue all the way back to 2015, when the council approved a shopping center for the last parcel of undeveloped land in the Waterview office park adjoining the Intervale area. Barberio said that unpopular deal allowed his 2017 mayoral opponent, Democrat Michael Soriano, to win the Intervale districts by a wide margin, helping him to defeat Barberio, a two-term incumbent at the time. "It freaked everybody out in this area, which I understand," he said. "But I also knew that what was coming next over there wasn't going to be good." He referred to the developer's threat to build 666 units of affordable housing if the shopping center was not approved. Barberio flipped the script in 2021, defeating Soriano and regaining an office he had aspired to since high school. That recollection sent him back to his early days as a young council candidate, when he lived in Lake Hiawatha after growing up in Lake Parsippany. "I thought that because I grew up in the Lake Parsippany area, everyone was going to vote for me there, and not to worry about it," he recalled. "I won every district in Lake Hiawatha, but I got killed in Lake Parsippany. I won by eight votes. I got too overconfident, but I learned a lesson. Every vote counts." Barberio's years of campaign experience, he indicated, are evidence of his many years in office. "We're going to have a lot of issues going forward when it comes to affordable housing, we truly are," he said. "You need a mayor that's experienced." Referring to Musella, he added, "You have a young kid — not a bad kid, but [he] doesn't have the experience to handle a town like Parsippany." 2025 NJ primary election: Here's a list of all contested races in North Jersey The race has seen prominent supporters change sides in recent months. Several Board of Education members initially signaled support for Musella. They were angered by tax breaks known as PILOTs — payments in lieu of taxes — that allegedly shortchanged the school district. Then-board president Andrew Choffo introduced Musella at his campaign kickoff last June, which was also attended by state Sen. Jon Bramnick, who's seeking the GOP nod for governor. An incensed Barberio promised an audit of Board of Education finances last September, though he recently stated that review was "on hold." Musella also had early support from Morris County Republican Committee Chair Laura Ali, who withheld an endorsement of Barberio in 2021 when he ran in a rematch with Soriano. This time around, Ali again refused to back Barberio, branding him "the highest paid and least qualified mayor in Morris County." But in January, Ali switched sides and got behind the mayor. She said she wanted to end the feud and gear up for a competitive general election in November. "The 2025 election cycle poses significant challenges, and I strongly believe a united front is essential for ensuring Republican success," Ali wrote in a letter to both mayoral candidates. She offered to back Musella for council if he withdrew from the mayor's race. Musella said no. "Our campaign to end the cycle of corruption, over-taxation and taxpayer-funded overdevelopment in Parsippany, once and for all, cannot be intimidated," the challenger declared. Musella first ran for a council seat in the 2021 primary with the county committee-endorsed Louis Valori for mayor. Valori lost, but Musella secured a council nomination and joined Frank Neglia on a Barberio slate that swept into office that November. Neglia is back on the Barberio ticket this year along with fellow council candidate Shah. Shah is Barberio's longtime liaison to the Parsippany Indian community. Musella is running with Casey Parikh, a longtime Planning Board member and chairman, and John Bielen. Ali wasn't the only turnaround. Choffo surprised many when he switched sides and backed Barberio at the mayor's campaign announcement in February. Weeks later, Barberio announced he had reached an agreement with the school board on how to share the PILOT revenue and ensure the district receives its expected funds. Another controversy arose over the past week when Barberio announced in a campaign video that he had reached an agreement for a memorandum of understanding between Town Hall and the school board on revenue sharing, negotiated with Choffo. Within hours, current board President Alison Cogan issued a statement saying no agreement had been signed and that the mayor's pronouncement was "inaccurate." Barberio responded by insisting he and Choffo had come to terms and blamed the board for not acting on "this historic agreement that would greatly benefit our students, teachers, and school system." Current board member Tim Berrios and former board member Suzy Vega-Golderer remain vocal supporters of Musella's. Both were at his rainy rally in the park. The campaign also included a failed attempt by the township council in March to censure Musella for allegedly using his elected position to get his wife out of a speeding ticket in 2023. Musella's supporters pointed to the timing of the censure, calling it politically motivated. After a public backlash — the censure vote was moved to Parsippany Hills High School to accommodate an overflow crowd — the council voted down the proposal unanimously. Other controversies along the campaign trail, amped up by furious partisan debates on local websites and social media, included an accusation that a DPW worker had stolen campaign lawn signs, and the doxxing of the worker allegedly involved. More recently came complaints of illegal ballot harvesting. Yet both candidates, in a May debate, pledged to support the primary winner in November. With no competition in the primary, the Democratic ticket is already focused on November. Leading the ticket is Desai, president of the Lake Parsippany Property Owner's Association. Running with him are council candidates Matt Kavanagh and Diya Patel. Republicans currently hold a 4-1 edge on the council. While Republicans have long held majority status on the Parsippany Council, the major parties have shared the mayor's office over the years. Barberio, currently in his third non-consecutive term, is the only Parsippany Republican to win the mayor's office in more than 30 years, and only one of two GOP candidates elected to the office in nearly half a century. More: Cronyism, corporate welfare? Parsippany rivals come out swinging in GOP mayoral debate Polls on primary day will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The early-voting period lasted from June 3 and through June 8. May 20 was the deadline to register for the primary. Applications for mail-in ballots had to be received by 3 p.m. June 9. Mail-in ballots must be received by the Post Office by June 10. County clerks must certify election results by June 23. The 2025 general election takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 14. This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Morris County primary: Feisty Parsippany mayor race heads to finish
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
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In Parsippany, raucous GOP mayoral primary gives voters a choice: experience or change?
PARSIPPANY — One Republican offers the experience he says is needed to run Morris County's biggest town. Another offers a youthful perspective that he says will break a pattern of overtaxation and overdevelopment. Both have sniped, shouted and hurled public accusations for nearly four years, since they took office together in 2022. As their conflict escalated, members of the township school board and the county GOP Committee have taken sides — and then switched. Their inevitable showdown will arrive with the primary election on Tuesday, June 10, when voters in the town of almost 60,000 people will choose either incumbent James Barberio or Councilman Justin Musella. The winner gets the Republican nomination for the county's only full-time mayor's office and a faceoff with Democratic candidate Pulkit Desai. While supporters of both Republicans continue to sound off on social media, the Barberio and Musella tickets are still knocking on doors to engage voters. Each has expressed confidence in victory, though no public polls have been released. On May 28, more than 100 Musella supporters braved heavy rains to gather under a gazebo for a rally at Veterans Memorial Park. The 33-year-old thanked his enthusiastic rain-soaked followers. "You know, it's becoming a theme, where no matter the weather, no matter the event, we can produce a crowd," he said. "Ultimately, our movement is fueled by people like you. Ordinary people who are sick and tired of being sick and tired when they look at Town Hall and see the decisions that are being made." "We have 13 days to go before we turn the page in our history," Musella continued. "And I truly believe we have the wind beneath our sails. But the only way we get across the finish line is if each of us help to move the ball forward." On June 2, Barberio campaigned in Lake Intervale, one of the smaller neighborhoods in town. His running mates, township council candidates Frank Neglia and Jigar Shah, had been seen on multiple occasions canvassing the community. Barberio, 64, leaned on his familiarity with the many individual neighborhoods in Parsippany, and their familiarity with him. "Most of you already know me here," said the mayor, who is seeking his fourth consecutive term. "And I know you have a lot of questions." Much of the discussion was about New Jersey's affordable housing mandate and its impact on Parsippany, where thousands of residential units are already under construction, with more to come. Like many incumbents in North Jersey, Barberio argued he was powerless to fight the mandate in the courts. He said he has focused instead on killing two birds with one proverbial stone: demolishing vacant office properties no longer generating good tax payments and replacing them with housing that will satisfy the mandate. Barberio took the issue all the way back to 2015, when the council approved a shopping center for the last parcel of undeveloped land in the Waterview office park adjoining the Intervale area. Barberio said that unpopular deal allowed his 2017 mayoral opponent, Democrat Michael Soriano, win the Intervale districts by a wide margin, helping him to defeat Barberio, a two-term incumbent at the time. "It freaked everybody out in this area, which I understand," he said. "But I also knew that what was coming next over there wasn't going to be good." He referred to the developer's threat to build 666 units of affordable housing if the shopping center was not approved. Barberio flipped the script in 2021, defeating Soriano and regaining an office he had aspired to since high school. That recollection sent him back to his early days as a young council candidate, when he lived in Lake Hiawatha after growing up in Lake Parsippany. "I thought that because I grew up in the Lake Parsippany area, everyone was going to vote for me there, and not to worry about it," he recalled. "I won every district in Lake Hiawatha, but I got killed in Lake Parsippany. I won by eight votes. I got too overconfident, but I learned a lesson. Every vote counts." Barberio's years of campaign experience, he indicated, are evidence of his many years in office. "We're going to have a lot of issues going forward when it comes to affordable housing, we truly are," he said. "You need a mayor that's experienced." Referring to Musella, he added, "You have a young kid — not a bad kid, but [he] doesn't have the experience to handle a town like Parsippany." 2025 NJ primary election: Here's a list of all contested races in North Jersey The race has seen prominent supporters change sides in recent months. Several Board of Education members initially signaled support for Musella. They were angered by tax breaks known as PILOTs — payments in lieu of taxes — that allegedly shortchanged the school district. Then-board president Andrew Choffo introduced Musella at his campaign kickoff last June, which was also attended by state Sen. Jon Bramnick, who's seeking the GOP nod for governor. Musella also had early support from Morris County Republican Committee Chair Laura Ali, who withheld an endorsement of Barberio in 2021 when he ran in a rematch with Soriano. This time around, Ali again refused to back Barberio, branding him "the highest paid and least qualified mayor in Morris County." She initially backed Musella. But in January, Ali switched sides and got behind the mayor. She said she wanted to end the feud and gear up for a competitive general election in November. "The 2025 election cycle poses significant challenges, and I strongly believe a united front is essential for ensuring Republican success," Ali wrote in a letter to both mayoral candidates. She offered to back Musella for council if he withdrew from the mayor's race. Musella said no. "Our campaign to end the cycle of corruption, over-taxation and taxpayer-funded overdevelopment in Parsippany, once and for all, cannot be intimidated," the challenger declared. Musella first ran for a council seat in the 2017 primary with the county committee-endorsed Louis Valori for mayor. Valori lost, but Musella secured a council nomination and joined Frank Neglia on a Barberio slate that swept into office that November. Neglia is back on the Barberio ticket this year along with fellow council candidate Shah. Shah is Barberio's longtime liaison to the Parsippany Indian community. Musella is running with Casey Parikh, a longtime Planning Board member and chairman, and John Bielen. Ali wasn't the only turnaround. Choffo surprised many when he switched sides and backed Barberio at the mayor's campaign announcement in February. Weeks later, Barberio announced he had reached an agreement with the school board on how to share the PILOT revenue and ensure the district receives its expected funds. Another controversy arose over the past week when Barberio announced in a campaign video that he had an reached an agreement for a memorandum of understanding between Town Hall and the school board on revenue sharing, negotiated with Choffo. Within hours, current board President Alison Cogan issued a statement saying nos agreement had bee signed and that the mayor's pronouncement was "inaccurate." Barberio responded by insisting he and Choffo had come to terms and blamed the board for not acting on "this historic agreement that would greatly benefit our students, teachers, and school system." Current board member Tim Berrios and former board member Suzy Vega-Golderer remain vocal supporters of Musella's. Both were at his rainy rally in the park. The campaign also included a failed attempt by the township council in March to censure Musella for allegedly using his elected position to get his wife out of a speeding ticket in 2023. Musella's supporters pointed to the timing of the censure, calling it politically motivated. After a public backlash — the censure vote was moved to Parsippany Hills High School to accommodate an overflow crowd — the council voted down the proposal unanimously. Other controversies along the campaign trail, amped up by furious partisan debates on local websites and social media, included an accusation that a DPW worker had stolen campaign lawn signs, and the doxxing of the worker allegedly involved. More recently came complaints of illegal ballot harvesting. Yet both candidates, in a May debate, pledged to support the primary winner in November. With no competition in the primary, the Democratic ticket is already focused on November. Leading the ticket is Desai, president of the Lake Parsippany Property Owner's Association. Running with him are council candidates Matt Kavanagh and Diya Patel. Republicans currently hold a 4-1 edge on the council. While Republicans have long held majority status on the Parsippany Council, the major parties have shared the mayor's office over the years. Barberio, currently in his third non-consecutive term, is the only Parsippany Republican to win the mayor's office in more than 30 years, and only one of two GOP candidates elected to the office in nearly half a century. More: Cronyism, corporate welfare? Parsippany rivals come out swinging in GOP mayoral debate Polls on primary day will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The early-voting period began June 3 and runs through June 8. May 20 was the deadline to register for the primary. Applications for mail-in ballots must be received by 3 p.m. June 9. Mail-in ballots must be received by the Post Office by June 10. County clerks must certify election results by June 23. The 2025 general election takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 14. This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Parsippany NJ mayor race: GOP feud nears end in 2025 primary
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
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Parsippany's rival Republican mayoral candidates agree to debate in online forum
Parsippany's rival Republican mayoral candidates — incumbent James Barberio and Councilman Justin Musella — will take their bitter primary fight to a debate next month. Barberio and Musella have clashed in public practically since they took office after running together four years ago and will face off in the June GOP primary for the right to lead the town of 56,000 people, Morris County's largest. But first, they'll meet in a virtual debate to be conducted May 15 by the League of Women Voters' Morris Area chapter and cosponsored by the Daily Record. The candidates will meet on Zoom starting at 7 a.m. on the LWV Morris YouTube channel. The debate will also be sponsored by the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Morristown Alumnae Chapter. "League-sponsored events are strictly nonpartisan," the debate announcement states. "The League does not support or oppose any political candidate or party." The Daily Record is covering the election but will not make any municipal or county candidate endorsements. Barberio, 64, is seeking a fourth term in office, after being elected in 2009 and 2013, losing in 2017 and then reclaiming the post in 2021. He is running on a ticket with two town council candidates: current Council Vice President Frank Neglia and Jigar Shah, who the mayor appointed during his first term as his liaison to the large Indian American community in town. Musella, 33, was elected with Barberio and Neglia, but has broken with his fellow Republicans in the council majority on the developer tax breaks known as PILOTs, or payments in lieu of taxes, as well as the township's adoption of project labor agreements that favor larger unions for big municipal projects. The latest GOP conflict, in March, involved a failed attempt by Barberio and his council allies to censure Musella for presenting his council credentials to a township police officer during a 2023 traffic stop for speeding. Following a public outcry at a council meeting — which had to be rescheduled due to an overflow crowd — the censure resolution was withdrawn. Barberio picked up a surprise supporter earlier this year in Morris County Republican Chair Laura Ali, who previously had supported Musella. She dismissed Barberio last year as "the highest-paid and least-qualified mayor in Morris County." But in January, 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 at the time. Musella declined Ali's offer, saying, "Our campaign to end the cycle of corruption, over-taxation and taxpayer-funded overdevelopment in Parsippany, once and for all, cannot be intimidated." Musella went on to name two council candidates as part of his own ticket, Casey Parikh and John Bielen. The GOP council candidates currently have no plans to debate. Parikh and Bielen agreed to take part in a League of Women Voters forum but Neglia and Shah declined. "Mayor Barberio, Jigar, and myself work together as a team and we all share the same vision for our great town," Neglia said. "Together, we agreed it would be best to have Mayor Barberio represent all of us and believe that my record and Jigar's business acumen will inspire Parsippany residents to support our ticket." More: Parsippany Democrats promise less drama, more focus on governing in mayor, council races Democrats have endorsed Pulkit Desai, president of the Lake Parsippany Property Owner's Association, for mayor and Matt Kavanagh and Diya Patel for council. Unopposed in the primary, they will meet the winners of the Republican race in the November general election. The Puddingstone Community Club also announced it has invited Barberio, Musella and Desai to a debate on May 21 and that Musella and Desai have agreed to participate. The debate would be livestreamed but limited to an in-person audience of 80 people. On Wednesday, Barberio told the Daily Record his campaign coordinator is discussing the format and other details with the Puddingstone event coordinator. "I'm sure we'll have some sort of solution," he said. Musella is a resident of the Puddingstone section of Parsippany. The club has hosted candidate forums in the past, including one in 2017. Barberio lives in the Lake Hiawatha section of town. 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 candidates 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: Parsippany NJ mayor race: Barberio, Musella to hold GOP primary debate
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Field set for bitter Parsippany GOP primary as mayor's rival names council running mates
PARSIPPANY — The field for what could be the most competitive primary campaign in Morris County this year got a little more crowded when Councilman Justin Musella announced his running mates on Monday night in a bid to unseat Mayor James Barberio. A gathering of about 75 supporters filled the Lake Parsippany Clubhouse, where Musella introduced former Planning Board Chairman Casey Parikh and John Bielen as the candidates on his ticket for two open seats on the council. "Our campaign is dedicated to finally ending the cycle of over-taxation, taxpayer-funded overdevelopment and to end local mismanagement once and for all," Musella said. "But I can't do it alone." Barberio, Musella and the council candidates will face off in the June 10 Republican primary. Democrats have yet to announce their candidates for this year's election. Musella said he met Bielen at a council meeting in December 2023 that drew more than 800 residents to the Parsippany PAL building. That meeting turned into an angry, seven-hour confrontation between local citizens and the mayor and council over the tax breaks known as PILOTs given to several developers. Barberio and his council allies say the deals give builders incentives to knock down vacant office buildings in town and replace them with revenue-generating properties. Bielen , 38, a business development professional involved in coaching local youth sports teams, said the 2023 session was the "final straw" motivating him to get involved in local government. "Our town needs new leaders," he said. "We have to put our residents first, and not special interests. For too long, we have watched taxes go up, spending get out of control and our voices get ignored as you guys saw last December." Last month, Barberio announced he would run with incumbent Frank Neglia and Jigar Shah, the mayor's longtime appointed liaison to Parsippany's large Indian community. Parikh also enjoys a high profile in the community, which comprised 38% of Parsippany's 56,000 residents in the 2023 Census. Parikh, a retired engineer and former county planning board member, said he lost his municipal planning board seat after unsuccessfully running for council with then-Councilman Robert Peluso against Barberio's primary ticket in 2017. "Parsippany used to be a town where residents always came first," Parikh said. "Now it's all about what is in the newspaper: ribbon-cutting, backroom deals and pushing development that none of us want. "The council approves everything he wants," Parikh said, referring to Barberio. "Meanwhile, our taxes and utility charges are going up. Permits have been delayed." Parikh also took aim at Shah, dismissing him as Barberio's "political pawn." "Can anyone tell me what [Shah] has done for our Indian community?" he said. "He just plays politics. And he's our liaison for eight years. We need to change this town." By far the largest municipality in Morris County by population, Parsippany is also the only Morris town to employ a full-time mayor. Barberio currently enjoys a 3-2 majority support on the council, where Musella and Democrat Judy Hernandez frequently push back on his initiatives. Barberio served two terms as mayor before losing to Democrat Michael Soriano in 2017, but he regained the office by beating Soriano in the 2021 election. Musella was his running mate at that point. Neglia a former Parsippany Board of Education president elected with Barberio and Musella in 2021, has remained a staunch ally of the mayor. With Musella's seat opening, and Neglia on the ballot, the two council elections will determine whether Barberio can keep his control of the council as well as his own office. "Four years ago, we won a huge election," Musella said. "I ran with Councilman Neglia and Mayor Barberio and we took out the previous Democratic administration on some simple promises. I wish the other two kept their promises. If they had, I wouldn't be here tonight." Barberio responded to the challenger's remarks Tuesday morning. Musella, he said, "is unfit to be mayor because he abuses his power for his own personal benefit and offers no solution for Parsippany's future." The other current council members, Republicans Paul Carifi Jr. and Matt McGrath, are supporting Barberio in the primary, as is the Morris County Republican Committee, which denied Barberio an endorsement in 2021. The committee, led by county GOP Chairwoman Laura Ali, initially supported Musella's mayoral campaign when he announced last June. But Ali recently switched to Barberio's side and tried to broker a compromise between the two bitter rivals. Musella refused and pressed on with his bid to remove the incumbent from office for a second time. "We are up against the machine," Musella said on Monday. "We are up against the establishment. And I believe that our movement has found two other champions who are going to step forward." Board of Education member Andrew Choffo, a former critic of Barberio who introduced Musella at the councilman's mayoral campaign kickoff, also recently abandoned Musella to back Barberio. More: Parsippany demolished 2 million square feet of office space. Here's what will replace it Choffo, along with board members Suzy Golderer and Tim Berrios, were frequent speakers at council meetings over the past two years, objecting to how revenues from the PILOT deals were paid directly to the town, cutting out the school district. That's in contrast to the way traditional property tax payments are designated for the school system. With Choffo now behind Barberio, and Golderer voted off the board last year, Berrios found himself a lone wolf at Musella's campaign event. "I'm a party of one, yes," Berrios said Monday. "Unfortunately I'm old enough to know how politics works. Does it trouble me? Yes. Was it surprising to me personally? Yes. But it is what it is. I can only speak for myself." He plans to help the Musella campaign as it progresses to the primary on June 10. "I like his message and I'm concerned about the overdevelopment," Berrios said. "Right now the current administration is not willing to negotiate with the school board." Choffo defended his change of heart at Barberio's campaign kickoff in February. "You may recognize me because in June of last year, I spoke for the other guy," he 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." Choffo and Berrios have both stressed their comments on the campaign were made as private citizens, not school board members. Other Parsippany residents also stepped up at Monday's event to endorse the Musella ticket, including Hank Heller. "I think we have had a number of issues come up in Parsippany," he said, citing the union-friendly "project labor agreements" and developer tax breaks approved under Barberio. Those debates "have not been resolved to most of the residents' satisfaction, but were in fact resolved to political satisfaction," Heller said. "I'm not satisfied with that. I think that's wrong." Anthony Longo agreed. "We need somebody who can see the other side of what's going on and care for the people first instead of big corporations," he told Musella's supporters. This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Parsippany GOP ticket looks to unseat mayor, councilmen in primary
