Politics & Government

Council Candidate Annelise Catanzaro: One-Party Rule 'Isn't Healthy'

The head of the Municipal Alliance Committee says she can bring a fresh voice to the council.

Don't let Annelise Catanzaro's mild-mannered exterior fool you.

As chairperson of Parsippany's Municipal Alliance Committee, Catanzaro works passionately to educate the public on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. Now she is running for Town Council on a Democratic ticket that includes Janice McCarthy and Tom Wyka. In the June 7 primary, the slate has one opponent, self-proclaimed Independent Democrat Robert Hofacker. But Catanzaro's focus is on the Republican Team Parsippany ticket and educating the public on civic issues she considers important.

When she sees the government making a decision she feels is irresponsible or wasteful—as in the case of the Township Council's 2008 approval of a contract with the Morris County Joint Insurance Fund when less expensive options were available—she was in the forefront of the opposition.

Find out what's happening in Parsippanywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

When Catanzaro has something to say, she comes out and says it.

Take the issue of transparency in government. Catanzaro is all for it when done responsibly, and she has no qualms about calling out those whose actions belie their words.

Find out what's happening in Parsippanywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The council’s current approach to transparency is extremely hypocritical," she said, pointing out what appears to be a bit of irony. "They’ve created a Transparency in Government committee that now refuses to publish and share minutes with the public. To my mind, that's ridiculous."

According to Catanzaro, this does not make sense, and neither does having a governing body that doesn't welcome a wide range of voices and viewpoints.

"We need bright, fresh voices on the council," she said. "I'm qualified and hard-working, and I love my community."

It's a longtime love story. Catanzaro is a fourth generation Parsippany resident. She grew up in the Mount Tabor section of town and was educated in the local public schools, eventually studying at the College of New Jersey, from which she graduated magna cum laude.

She now lives in Lake Hiawatha with her husband, Chris, and their new puppy, and works as business development director  at Vertical Health, LLC, a medical communications firm in Montclair.

In addition to serving as the Municipal Alliance chairperson, she is a member of the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey, a multi-partisan organization dedicated to increasing the number of elected and appointed women in government.

Catanzaro has been part of numerous municipal committees in an effort to make a positive difference in her hometown. And as a citizen concerned about maintaining the character of Parsippany, she has attended and shared her views at zoning and planning board meetings. She ran unsuccessfully for Township Council in 2009.

"If you look historically, Parsippany has always had Democratic and Republican representation in government," she said. "For the past two years, we've had complete Republican control of the mayor's office and the council. That isn't healthy in government.

"The reason I'm running is because I strongly believe there is a real value in having dissenting viewpoints on the council," she said, noting that she sees an effort by those currently in power to block participation by those holding other views.

"The Republicans in office are doing their best to hold on to every position they can. That does not serve the people's best interests. We have to get away from a system where if you disagree, you won't be appointed or re-hired. It's not how government should work."

Catanzaro offered what she called a clear example of the current administration's effort to squelch opposing voices.

In October 2009, the Town Council created the Economic Development and Transparency in Government committees. Two years later, the first panel has yet to be called to order. The second committee was not called to order until November 2010.

"I attended, was appointed secretary-elect, and soon after was retroactively kicked off the committee when the council unanimously changed the ordinance to shorten our terms," she recalled, adding that her ticketmate Tom Wyka suffered a similar fate.

"Despite re-applying to serve on the committee, neither Tom nor I were re-appointed.  I contacted the committee and asked for a schedule of meetings so that I could stay involved even though I wasn't a voting member, however, the next day I was called by the council liasion and told to stop contacting the committee, to not ask questions about the committee in open public session at council meetings, and to contact him personally if I want to know the outcome of future meetings."

Areas where Catanzaro would serve as a dissenting voice include the sewer surplus issue.

"Moving funds from our sewer surplus to pay off general operating expenses represents a shortsighted approach to budgeting and planning," she said. "We instead need to take a hard look at what services are essential now and five, 10 and 20 years from now. We need to plan for the Parsippany we envision in the future and prioritize accordingly."

She also worries for the township's senior citizens.

"I think that many seniors are conerned about rising property taxes and the possibility of being forced to move out of their homes because they can't afford [to stay there]. The council should be working tirelessly to to determine ways to realize cost savings, increase rateables and lessen the burden on seniors and all taxpayers."

And when it comes to controversial subjects such as the proposed redevelopment of 272 Parsippany Rd. into a five-story commercial and residential building, she said that those in power must be open to hearing alternate views.

"I've been to planning board meetings where this matter was discussed," she continued. "It's interesting that whenever a controversial issue shows up and a lot of the public is present, it always gets tabled for a following meeting. Of course, fewer people show up the second time."

Catanzaro says Democrat versus Republican is not the issue here.

"I will provide an unbiased and thoughtful approach to each new issue, ordinance and resident concern," she said. "I think that our community would agree that balance is important.  

"It's frustrating for me as a young person trying to give back and improve my hometown, only to be pushed away and treated as an enemy instead of an asset to our community.  If I were in their position, I would embrace all volunteers regardless of party affiliation," she added. "If someone is willing to volunteer, we should always take advantage of their willingness to offer time and ideas to make our community a better place."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here