Municipal Alliance Committee Kicks Off Its 2012 Work

The township's Municipal Alliance Committee held its first meeting of 2012 at the on Jan. 23. The group, comprised of members of the community appointed by the mayor, has a mission to prevent alcohol and drug abuse in Parsippany through community-based programs.  At the gathering, the all-volunteer panel elected new officers and started planning the year's activities.

This year's executive board is comprised of Chairperson Annelise Catanzaro, who was elected to her fourth term as chair, Vice Chair Louis Vallori and Secretary Sandra Neglia. 

"I'm especially eager to begin work for MAC this year because of the great group of people working on the committee," she said. "We have some veteran members who have been working for more than 20 years on these issues and bring wisdom and perspective to our discussions. And we also have new members—our students, for example—who are breathing new energy and offering new ideas."

Two representatives from each of the high schools sit on MAC each year. For 2012, is represented by Lauren Barrese and Kyle Annese from PHHS; Ashley Burroughs and Eli Archambault are from . 

"To kick-off this year, the committee reviewed recent articles related to drug arrests and DWIs, and brainstormed how we can best tackle alcohol and drug abuse throughout the community," Catanzaro said.  

Parsippany had  58 drug arrests and 97 DWI arrests, according to police department spokesperson Sgt. Yvonne Christiano. MAC's goal, said Catanzaro, is to reduced those numbers.

Among the issues MAC will try to address this year are seniors and prescription drug awareness and finding ways  to help parents identify the signs of prescription drug abuse by their children, she said. The committee also shared ideas on "how to connect students with the harsh realities of drug/alcohol abuse as a prevention method."  At the next MAC meeting, Catanzaro said members will refine these ideas and select three goals or initiatives to pursue in 2012.

MAC programs are funded jointly by a grant offered by the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and matching funds from the municipality. 

Catanzaro said meetings are held monthly and are open to the public.

"New members are encouraged to join," she added.

The next MAC meeting is Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. If you're interested in learning more or getting involved with MAC, the chair asked that you contact the committee via email.