what a shock, the parsippany republicans orchestrated a coup.

Is anyone shocked that Barbero would lie?

This unfortunate situation had nothing to do with the Parsippany Republicans and everything to do with Mayor Barberio. As an elected member of the Republican County Committee representing District 23, on Monday evening, I along with other elected Republican County Commitee members representing thousands of Parsippany Republicans, participated in an open and democratic process to select three candidates to be considered by the Council for the vacant seat. Much to Mayor Barberio's surprise and obvious displeasure his handpicked candidate Milin Shah was not selected. With Mr. Shah's defeat the Mayor, as the leader of Parsippany's Republican Party had the opportunity and indeed the responsibility to advise the County Committee members that he was aware of a potential issue with Mr. Valori's qualifications. Rather than do so and spare the Republican Party the embarassment that defined last evening's Council meeting events, the Mayor chose to sulk in silence. By doing so Mayor Barberio effectively disenfranchised the elected members of the County Committee and by extension disenfranchised Parsippany Republicans. And by doing so, Mayor Barberio demonstrated his utter disregard for the truth, due process and the best interests of the Republican Party.

Isn't anyone paying attention to what has happened and is happening in and to Parsippany? It seems that Parsippany has become the plaything of the "Gods". Whatever the people in power decide to do, get's done. Mayor Barberio makes a decision, for good or ill, and Mr. Inglesino figures out a way to make it happen. Perhaps Mr. Inglesino is the "God" or perhaps Mayor Barberio is the "God", I don't know who is the real top dog, but I do know that the Mayor has picked HIS people for our Town Council and whatever "God" decides get's done because almost all of our Town Council people mindlessly follow "The Boss".
I am very disappointed in the entire political process in Parsippany. I am disappointed in a town government that during a time of huge financial insecurity, unanimously votes to be able to increase all of the administrative jobs pay substantially. It seems this administration is here only to take care of themselves. This administration is out of control and does not have the sense or kindness not to keep gouging it's big thumb into our eyes.
Will we ever gather the courage to stand up and fight this abuse of power? Most of us don't even have the courage to write our real names on these pages. I expect a full round of sniping from the "unidentifiable one's" who sell their souls and character for a small snippet of the administration's cheese or affection. Won't anyone stand up? Oh, Parsippany, I mourn for you.
Hank Heller

Hank
Don't despair yet. You may be familiar with that wonderful animated film in which a rather large and very green character befriends a wise and wisecracking donkey who seves up some much needed reality. Perhaps such a character will surface at Town Hall and should a donkey prove to be be politically unacceptable might not a mule who is stubbornly ethical ride to the Mayor's rescue?

Hank,

With all do respect, the Town Council did not have any say in what was done last night. Yes, I was appointed by the Town Council to fill a vacated seat. In 2010 I was voted in by the public for a 1 year term and in 2011 I was voted in by the public for a 4 year term. I did not agree at all with the process last night and I fully intended to vote for Dr. Louis Valori to fill the vacant seat. On a seperate note, as for your "Boss" and "God" comments, I guess you do not know me that well. I will continue to do what I believe is right for the people and I will always consider myself a leader and not a follower.

Brian,
I was not at all looking to insult you or the Mayor. I am writing about the apparent situation in Parsippany where all of the new members are people who are selected by the Mayor (it seems) or some other mysterious entity. This sets up our governing body to be people who have a vested interest in complying with the Mayor's desires. Please look at the various funding bills over the years, and now the bill to allow the Town Council to move salaries up for the administrative staff of the town, as it sees fit. How about letting us all know what each of those people are currently making (and how they compare) before passing unanimous new legislation?
Among the problems I see in the current Parsippany administration is that politicians are being selected for us by someone/something that is not particularly caring about what is really good for the town and it's future growth. We are seeing "slam-dunks" going on all around us, and it is taking huge effort on the part of individual citizens to thwart some of those "slam-dunks". A good example was the "Field of Dreams", which took the better part of a year of great citizen effort to cause the issue to POSSIBLY be resolved in a fair manner.
The only people being selected to serve are those who are deeply connected to the administration. That is a mistake on Mayor Barberios part. We need to have people elected who might argue with the proposed direction. That will be better for the town and the Mayor, I believe.

Tim Berrios,

Check your facts before you make untrue statements. I questioned a procedure and I was given an answer. As for making threats you know that is false, I did no such thing. Thats why I like this board people can come on here and make up anything they want to make others look bad. I believe I have a good relationship with members of the soccer board and your statements should be looked into.

Brian
The issue is not so much what Council members did or not do at the Council meeting last night but rather what they knew about Lou Valori's status before the County Committee nominating meeting on Monday evening.
Simple question: Did you or any other member of the Executive Committee know about the potential problem with Lou Valori's qualifications prior to to the County Committee meeting on Monday evening. If so why wasn't that information shared with Committee members prior to the overwhelming support given to Lou Valori's candidacy. The Mayor has stated that he knew about the issue but for yet unexplained reasons chooses to remain silent. Who else knew? What did they know and when did they know it? Simple questions How about some straight answers?

Tim Berrios,

I threatened you. This should be a good one can you please let me know how I threatened you. I was displeased with a soccer situation. I talked to DM about the situation. Even know I was not happy with the answer that was it. I did not in any way shape or form threaten you or anyone else.

I want to "THANK" the Parsippany Republican Committee for voting for me as one of the 3 names to be submitted to the PTH Council and the PTH Council for voting me in. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend and address the committee or council because I am curently serving with the USAF Reserves at the Navy Medical Center at San Diego. I want to thank Councilman dePiero for his kind words in addressing the committee on my behalf and Dr. Valori for his support and friendship. FYI: the medical center I am working at is known as the Walter Reed, Bethesda of the West. I have seen our Veterans with missing limbs and trying to walk on their new prostetic legs. Between here and what I witnessed in Afghanistan this time last year, I wouldn't wish those visions on anyone, but I also would not trade the experience for anything. I served with the best of the best and continue to serve our Wounded Warriors and my medical folks as a First Sergeant. I am a better man and I appreciate life and what it has to offer, no matter what it may be. Now thanks to all my LOYAL supporters, I am blessed, humbled and proud to have the oppurtunity, to once again, serve the people of Parsippany. Please don't judge me by who you may think I am or what I may do, but how I carry myself and treat and respect the taxpayers of Parsippany. I think my skeptics will be pleastantly suprised. I look forward to hitting the ground running upon my return and doing the best Damn job I know how to do.

Par Pardon
I am a Republican. In fact in the last primary I was elected to be a Parsippany Republican County Committee member so as a registered voter and as an elected official I do have a say.
But enough about me and my political affiliation. Not to point a finger because that would be impolite but again who are you and what is your name? Or would revealing that information expose the frightened politician hiding behind you that you shill for. Come on Par Pardon ask your benefactor if you can tell us who you are and show us that you have the guts to stand on your own two feet.

Many sites require users to log in through Facebook in order to comment. Wish Patch would do the same. It's one thing to comment anonymously while respectfully giving an opinion, and quite another to anonymously slander someone and hurl accusations. This ParPardon character has been at it for a long time now, trolling one person in particular almost every time.

I like Jimmy V, but you have to feel sorry for Dr. Louis Valori, Why wasn't he told earlier that he was going to be disqualified? Why did the Township attorney wait until 5 pm on the evening Valori was going to be sworn in to advise him he was disqualified? The poor guy invited his friends and family to the ceremony to watch him being sworn in. It doesn't pass the proverbial smell test.

ParParDon,
You're clutching straws bro, you gotta get a gip! You're trying to call Bob out because he said a "bad" word at a football game in front of High School students, really? High School students? As if they havent heard it all or better yet even care. You're obviously the kind of person who is not only afraid to tell us who he is, but you're also the type of person who goes looking for little, inane things to harp on, when nobody really gives a F***...ooops! But seriously dude, you need to chill with whatever your're trying to do.

So I caught up on some reading and between Monday night's committee meeting and last night's council meeting – I would have to say this is democracy at its best.

Mr. Crawford, you say Monday's meeting was held in an open and democratic process, but after reading about Monday's meeting, I would have to disagree. You obviously voted for Valori, Vigilante and Carifi. I agree that both Valori and Vigilante are more than qualified to fill the vacant seat, but Mrs. Carifi? After nominated a handful of other people, your side of the fence started to panic and went to the last resort who coincidently is the sister in-law of Councilmen Carifi. Instead of putting in the 3 most qualified candidates - you chose two and basically 1 filler candidate - very democratic. You accuse the Mayor of purposely staying silent during the meeting by not letting Mr. Valori know he would not be qualified, but if that was the case, would it not have made sense to voice that opinion Monday night in which Mr. Shah would have been 1 of the 3 candidates for the council to pick from? In my opinion, it’s not so much the Mayor lied to Mr. Valori, but he actually believed he was an eligible for the seat. That fault partly lies on the mayor, but more or less on Mr. Valori for not getting his facts straight himself through an attorney.

Brian
Many thanks for clarifying that on Monday evening you knew nothing about the potential issues that have impacted Lou Valori's status as a candidate for the Council. Assuming that none of the other members of the Executive Committee were aware of potential issues and understanding that the Mayor was well aware of them prior to the Monday evening what measures are open to the County Committee to discipline Mayor Barberio for his lack of candor? His failure to advise the Executive Committee and members of the County Committee begs a whole host of questions with the primary one being why he holds the democratic process of electing Council members in such low regard.

Hank, I agree politics in Parsippany is as corrupt as it can be. For this situation though, the Mayor is at no fault. We cannot change what the law states and we can not blame the mayor or the township attorney when they are following it. Lou is still a paid police officer and will not be retired till October, which according to the article was not publicly known. With the use of some common sense, a town employee should not be able to serve on the Council. Any Mayor would try to fill the council with candidates of his choice – If you think he acts as “God” and does as he pleases, they could have put in Mr. Shah, but that was not the case. I know that council is not filled with the best and brightest of what Parsippany has to offer and that’s simply because the best and brightest are too smart to get involved with politics in Parsippany. With the Republican machines at work, it makes deserving candidates hard to find. Monday night’s committee meeting is a great example of that. You had two forces at work: Mayor Barberio’s team and the Coalition that was formed by Crawford, Strumolo, Carifi, Vigilante, dePierro, and Valori (who I’m sure do not even like one another – but another argument within itself). Even with deserving candidates on both ends, their alliances alienate them from one another. This leaves more deserving candidates, who do not affiliate themselves with either side far behind in any race.

Mr. Lawrence
I couldn't agree with you more. The bottom line is that the Parsippany Republican County Committee had the responsibility to recommend three candidates to the Town Council for their consideration. The Commitee did so with the information it was provided on Monday evening. If Mayor Barberio, Dr. Valori, Executive Committee members, or current Town Council members withheld information regarding Dr. Valori's status than any one or all of those individuals deserve to be "skewered" as they participated in an effort to defraud the members of the Parsippany County Commitee and by extension all Parsippany Repulican Party members. By all means, let's go down the road of candor and disclosure and assign disciplinary measures as required. Perhaps Mr. Cesaro and Ms. Grossi, as members of the County Commitee and asRepublican leaders will lead the way and join many of us in the deep end who are simply looking for the truth. Come on John and Anne the water in the deep end ain't bad.

Im going to point out the obvious. It doesnt matter who the mayor is,he/she is going to want who they want on their team.The pres.of the US will do the same thing. Common sense! However,to defend the mayor,while he may have a group of people he wishes to have on his council he doesnt make the deicison & many of his council members dont always agree with him,hence this weeks events. If he did,Mr. Shah would have had his chance to succeed. Mr.Stanton also made that clear by saying he wouldve voted for Valori.The Mayor does not go in to the booth and vote for every1 in town.Most people,I would think,have a mind of their own. If they dont,its sad. U should feel sorry for them. Luckily,Mr Crawford has made it abundantly and embarrassingly clear that he is not one of those ppl. I applaud you. I vote for who I want to win,not who any1 else tells me to vote for. I have a mind of my own. Id like to think most people feel the same way about themselves. Dr. Valori is a great person & I think very highly of him, but hes also a grown man who should also take some responsibility for the outcome. Noone likes when things dont go their way. Its human nature for ppl to start pointing fingers. If he had to ? his eligibility more than once,he shouldve consulted in the approp. people.If the mayor knew he couldnt run, he would have [hopefully] said something when Mr. Shah lost his chance. B4 u start making accusations, calling names & pointing fingers, its very important to think before you speak

I am shocked at how jaded so many Parsippany residents have become. To expect those in power to select those who think like them and whose vote they can count on is the height of weakness. Has anyone read the terrific book by Doris Kearns Goodwin and RIchard Thomas, "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln"?
If our current administration only selects their "old buddies" and loyal fellow clubmembers, we can expect to have mediocrity or worse from our elected officials, (which is what we have had). Frankly, when I voted for Mayor Barberio, I had hoped that he would have the strength to select people who would argue with him, challenge him and offer divergent views, so he and the Town Council could select the best paths for his administration and our town. THAT is how his administration could be assured of re-election, by picking the best ideas and directions for Parsippany. Picking convenient directions is only guaranteed to earn him viable opposition. I have been challenging the current administration for a while now, NOT because I want their jobs, but because I want them to do what is really good for Parsippany. That will ultimately be most helpful to them in keeping themselves in office. For the past several years all I have seen is the administration giving their potential opponents a very good platform by which to run against the status quo. I wish that would end.
Hank Heller

Hank
You are spot on with your reference to Team of Rivals which is must reading for any elected official grappling with challenges that call for convening the best minds available to identify and implement creative, intelligent and non partisan solutions. Imagine if President Lincoln, because of some personal insecurity, had feared Cabinet members and generals far more experienced then him. Imagine if President Lincoln had demanded that any and all of his appointees pledge a personal oath of loyalty to him to ensure his political well being rather committing to the the well being of the nation, Imagine if President Lincoln had been so consumed by his need to be validated by being re-elected that he sought to identify and reward particular interest groups with his attention and patronage in exchange for their promised votes. Imagine America today if President Lincoln and his team of rivals hadn't had the courage, commitment and skills to put community before personal gain. Imagine a Parsippany being led by a Mayor and a Town Council that would honor the principles espoused and practiced by President Lincoln......

U did all catch the point of my comment where I said, everyone wants their team members, but it doesn't mean they get who they want, right? And that people have minds of their own and make their own decisions. Bc it seems u read the opposite for whatever reason ... Anyway, I'm not want to bicker back and fourth for all to see, but I Did want to clarify my point incase u missed it.

Wasn't it just a few short weeks ago that this person without an identifiable name was writing on all of Parsippany Patch's blogs the attached apology?
"I wanted to publicly apologize for any rude comments I may have made. I have come to terms with my issues and realized I have been way out of line with some of my comments. I look forward to working together to form a better future for Parsippany children. Once again please accept my apology and I promise to not revert back to my old ways." Parpardon
This is one of the reasons that I will not respond to people who do not have the character nor integrity to honestly and openly identify themselves. And you can put Steven Colpar and Robert Lawrence in the same mix since neither show up on any Parsippany phone records that I have been able to find. Please note that I only have looked up records to make sure that I am trying to communicate with people who have the courage to stand up for what they believe. It is easy to shoot at people when you do not have to be identified. It is a little (actually, a lot) tougher when one might be called upon to answer for their actions. By the way, I really do not care if you are on any side of a discussion. If you won't identify yourself, you are not a person of integrity and therfore your comments need to be discounted by people of honorable intent.
Hank Heller

It would seem to me that there was chaos all around starting with Monday & climaxing with Tuesday's outcome. First Mr Strumolo publicly announces that he feels a woman should hold the vacant seat & in turn when given the chance, nominates MR Schindel?? Then Mrs Petaccia in all her political wisdom nominates Mrs Gragnani who is a wonderful woman & well deserving but whom Mrs Petaccia just unseated?? Then Mr Crawford attempts to mend fences by nominating Mrs Tiedeman, again a wonderful woman but nominated by Mr. Crawford?? Doesn't anyone talk to each other?? Then it seems that female names were gathered in a hat with desperate drawings until they came across someone willing to say OK?? And the female who says yes , Mrs Carifi sites working on campaigns for her brother-in-law as a qualifier & who is the sister-in-law of a seated TC member & the wife of a BOE candidate?? Then to top it all off, Mr Valori, whom I think is terrific & well deserving of support doesn't tell anyone that he is still employed by the township & whose eligibility may be in question, is caught off guard when it turns out he is ineligible?? Then he blames others for his error?? Then Mr Crawford goes off on another delusional tirade about those two days, well ...that one isn't a surprise but it sure doesn't help. You just can't make these things up! Congratulations Mr Vigilante, despite the crazy start to your new term, I'm sure you will do a great job on our behalf just as you have done so in the past.

Carol, I don't think that is accurate about Mr. Valori. He said in the article that he told the mayor and the police department about his intentions and tried to make sure it would not be an issue. I'm not sure what more he was supposed to do? I guess in hindsight he should have asked Inglesino, not the mayor.

What I find sad about all this is that the Republican party (which I belong to) chose Jim Vigilante for the position. Jim previously held office in Parsippany and lost his re-election bid. In other words, the citizens of Parsippany VOTED HIM OUT OF OFFICE. The Republican party decided to ignore the public by appointing him back to local government. Seriously guys, are you putting any thought into this?

The last thing we need in town again is Vigilante who once said to shut up everything goes up including taxes so face it. This guy is a jerk and doesn't belong in a public office of any kind. Taxes do not have to keep going up, they can go the other way if the mayor wants it to, he can find away. This mayor doesn't give a darn how he hurts the taxpayers in this corrupt town.

I can't believe what I am reading. Are we all Dory from Finding Nemo? Do we all have such short memories about Sgt. Jimmy? Caro Dio!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCjNg-kqt68&feature=plcp

Very funny lampoon. Heaven help us....

Mr. Vigilante,
I read just last week where Montville has announced a two year holiday from water and sewer bills for the residents of that town since there was a large surplus in that account. How about Parsippany doing something similar, since there is approximately $7MM in excess moneys that has been collected by Parsippany in the the Parsippany Water and Sewer accounts. This money should not be used as a discretionary fund for the any administation. It is clear that we have been overcharged since the township forced replacement of the water meters some years ago. We have similar unused moneys sitting in the Open Space Fund (which the Mayor wanted to use to fund the Field of Dreams project). It woud be appropriate and politically smart to give the excess funds back to the voters. In that way, perhaps the majority of the people of Parsippany could begin to believe in the local leadership once again.
Hank Heller

Mr. Panico,
I was not aware that Mr. Vigilante had any involvement with the excessive water and sewer fees. I also was not aware that Jon Nelson has been arguing to have the excess water and sewer fees returned to the taxpayers. And I am also not aware that other people have brought the various overfunding situations up before the Town Council. So, thank you for the explanation. I do not think for a moment, however, that I am the originator of any of the good ideas. I just hope that the administration hears the voices of it's constituents and pays attention. Because, if they do not pay attention to the voice of the people, at some time or another, they may not have to pay attention at all.
Sincerely,
Hank Heller

Just as an FYI, I am in fact the world's BIGGEST douchebag.