Clerk 'No Longer Employed By the Township'

When , she and town leaders engaged in a public lovefest. Apparently, that love died quickly.

"Elesha Johnson is no longer employed by the township," Parsippany-Troy Hills Business Admininstrator Jasmine Lim has confirmed to Patch.

The end of her employment comes after Johnson's months-long absence from Town Hall. Lim said the clerk had been out on medical leave.

Lim declined to comment on the reason for the separation.

Johnson, who started working for the township Aug. 1, 2011, had previously said she has retained legal counsel on the matter.

Johnson and Mayor James Barberio have not responded to several requests for comment since her departure.

Johnson came to Parsippany after spending nearly two decades as an employee of the City of Camden. Originally hired there as a data processing programmer, she then became senior data processing programmer for the municipality, which has more than 77,000 residents. In 2004, she became the city's deputy municipal clerk and alternate registrar.

"I loved being a deputy clerk, and leaving Camden is a big decision,  but I'm ready to handle my own municipality," she told Patch last July. "I knew it had to be Parsippany when I came in for the interview and met Mayor Barberio and the staff. They and the council members were all so kind and welcoming and made me feel right at home. I knew this was the place for me."

Prior to falling ill, Johnson said she was in the process of purchasing a home in Parsippany. To facilitate her work here, she lived in a recreational vehicle while her husband remained in the Camden area. The couple had planned to reunite once a new home had been found.

Before starting as Parsippany's clerk, Johnson made it clear that she was committed to serving the township and its residents.

"This is an important job," she said at the time, "and I take it seriously."

As details emerge, Patch will update the story.