Introducing Jigar Shah and BOE Meets This Week

Should be a newsy week in Parsippany.

On Monday, we'll have a profile of . He will address the absentee ballot controversy, but more than anything, Shah gives us a glimpse into his life in Parsippany and why he's the mayor's choice to serve as a link between the Barberio administration and the town's second largest cultural group.

Normally, the Parsippany Board of Education gathers on Thursdays, but this week, the meeting takes place Tuesday and in a special location, Parsippany Hills High School. In addition to presenting student awards, it's expected the board will talk about the new ad hoc committee charged with researching ways to make athletic improvements at the high schools reality and about the 2013-14 budget process.

Speaking of the school board, have you seen its vice president, Sharif Shamsudin, lately? He signed on to our Patch Takes It Off weight loss challenge at the start of the new year, and is he looking good! Already, he's down more than 30 pounds so far. On Wednesday, we'll here about the transformation in his body and in his life and meet the Parsippany personal trainer whose specialty is transformation.

On Thursday, we debut Patch's Spotlight on Parsippany, where we spend some time with a local business or group that helps make the township a great place to be. This week we will focus on a unique babysitting business: Special Services for Special Kids.

To end the work week, we'll meet a young local musician who is using his art to make a difference as New Jersey works to recover from Superstorm Sandy. The artist calls himself Farewell Luna, and in addition to talent, he clearly has a big heart as well.