Barberio Defends Police Community Partnership Program

Keep the . That was the message of a number of citizens—many of them graduates of the program—who attended Tuesday night's Parsippany Township Council regular meeting at . 

Resident Lucille Uhlman, a recent graduate of the 's educational outreach program for citizens, stood during the public comment portion of the meeting and made a plea to save the academy.

Starting in January, the department has a new offering: .

This initiative will consist of a series of township-wide meetings bringing together town officials and citizens so that residents learn about operations of township departments, including the police department, and how to become partners with civic leaders to improve Parsippany.

Uhlman said she is impressed by the chief's new plan, but cannot see how it would be any more effective as an educational tool than the present nine-week academy run by Capt. James Carifi (brother of Council member Paul Carifi Jr.). She said the academy gave her and her 24 classmates "astounding insights" into how the police department works, how to put together emergency plans for crisis situations, how to put together a neighborhood watch program and more.

That education, she said, turned those who took the classes into more informed and involved citizens.

"Several graduates have gone on to join the township's emergency services, like the ambulance and fire companies, Rescue and Recovery and [the Community Emergency Response Team]," she said.

Uhlman went on to defend the academy, which is she said runs "at no cost to the taxpayers." She pointed out that no overtime pay is required and that, since the classes take place at the police department, no additional funding was needed.

"After the first session, we even brought our own refreshments," she noted.

She added that if there is an issue with Capt. Carifi's time being used for the Citizen Academy, she would volunteer her services to help run the program.

"Please give the academy as it is one more chance, at least," Uhlman beseeched the council. "Let Capt. Carifi conduct another session after the holidays. Try to attend one of the sessions and you'll see for yourself how great it is.

"...the academy is working," she stated. "As my parents said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Mayor James Barberio mentioned that he was a member of the first group of academy graduates and said he also believed in the academy. He underscored that as of now, he has not cancelled the program altogether, at least not yet.

"When I promoted Chief DeZenzo, he had grand visions for his police department," Barberio said, specifically addressing Uhlman.

"He has some great ideas, and I think that if you open up to those ideas, you'll see that his plans are just as good as the Citizen Police Academy can be, was or is. I haven't decided if I'm going to get rid of the academy, but the department is the chief's to run the way he sees fit. ... I appointed the chief because I have confidence in him.

"Can the Citizen Police Academy be made better? I think anything can be made better." 

On another matter, resident John Puglis warned the council that town trees could be a town threat. 

Puglis presented the council with a 45-page report he wrote with his wife, Mary, that cautions about the potential dangers posed by the Bradford pear trees installed all over Parsippany.  He said the recent storms that hit the township showed that the pear trees suffered mightily from Irene's August floods and last month's "Snowtober" storm. He regaled the council with anecdotes of people nearly being hit—and possibly injured or killed—by falling tree limbs.

"I almost lost my bride of 38 years," he said, recalling that his wife experienced a near-miss with a huge pear tree limb that fell outside their Howell Court home.

According to Puglis, the township must take the drastic step of removing all of the pear trees, beginning with the oldest and most damaged trees.

Mary Puglis, reading from a letter by town resident Angela Lockhart, described the Bradford pear tree as "unstable, weak and dangerous in inclement weather."

Barberio thanked the Puglises for their thorough research of the tree situation and noted that he had received numerous complaints from across the township about the pear trees.

"I'm going to form a plan about taking these trees down," he said. "It's definitely something we're going to tackle."

In other matters, as expected, the body briefly touched upon the planned installation of a 30kW roof-mounted solar panel array for the Parsippany Community Center and its tennis facility. Bids will be taken for the project on Friday at 11 a.m.

More detail was offered surrounding a proposed Memorandum of Understanding between the township and the state Department of Community Affairs. Business Administrator Jasmine Lim said the case revolves around , and its plan to create group homes in Parsippany. The organization, according to Lim, wants to buy a two-unit home consisting of two one-bedroom apartments to serve as affordable housing for vets.

"It would be the first dedicated housing for veterans in Parsippany, so it's a good thing," Lim said.

The group is asking the township for $170,000 to cover a portion of the purchase price. The funds would come from Parsippany's municipal housing trust fund—not from tax dollars, said Council member John Cesaro.

Lim noted that the trust fund now has about $5 million in its coffers.

"These are funds contributed by developers in the town who put money in this fund, a trust, for low-cost and moderately priced housing," Council President Michael dePierro explained.

He pointed out that if the township does not use the trust fund money, the state could take it back--and Parsippany still would be obligated under law to provide some affordable housing, this time with tax dollars.

Attorney John Wyciskala, filling in for usual board lawyer John Inglesino, concurred with the council president.

"If the municipality is collecting money and not using it, the state can come in and take those funds back," he said, adding that the money could then be spent in municipalities other than Parsippany-Troy Hills.

A straw poll vote among the council members--intended to show which way the body is leaning on an issue while committing to nothing--had only one naysayer. Cesaro, knowing the polling was meaningless, voted "no" to register his disapproval of Council on Affordable Housing credits being used by the DCA for what the council member called "social engineering at its finest."

Wyciskala said the process involving Community Hope's affordable housing plan for veterans will go forward and the matter will come before the council again in the form of a resolution upon which members will vote.

The council did vote on a number of newly introduced ordinance proposals:

The members agreed unanimously to authorize the township attorney and business administrator to proceed with the purchase of the Baldwin House at 460 S. Beverwyck Road. The historic property is listed at $672,750, according to Lim.

Also approved were two separate ordinances mandating No Parking fire zones at 77 E. Halsey Road and at Arya International, 1571 Route 46.

A fourth proposal was defeated: This ordinance would have amended the Parks, Recreation Areas and Public Lands section of the township code to raise golfing fees for members and guests of the Knoll Country Clubs West and East. President dePierro and member Vincent Ferrara voted in favor of the rate hikes, but no votes from Cesaro, Vice President Brian Stanton and member Paul Carifi Jr. sunk the measure.

The meeting also featured a rare moment of agreement between Barberio and contributing citizen Roy Messmer. 

The resident brought up a Star-Ledger story announcing Realogy's move from Parsippany to Madison in late 2012.

"This is not the mayor's fault, this is just to show that there's a battle going on. It's sad. Our state money is giving [Realogy] a credit so they can move to Madison. It's so absurd," Messmer said. "They're not moving to Pennsylvania or to Connecticut. They're moving to Madison. We're going to lose 270,000 square feet, which means they're going to come in under net income and we're going to lose rateables."

"I was saying that just this morning," Barberio said.

"Geez, we're on the same page," said a visibly surprised Messmer, who spends much of his concerned-citizen time as a thorn residing in the mayor's side.

"Yeah, on this one, we are," Barberio said, smiling.

The next agenda meeting is scheduled for Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.