Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Government program, mayor says, could save town residents more than $3 million, however if you want out, you'll have to take action.
At its business meeting last Tuesday, the Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Council without fanfare approved a measure to change the way electricity will be supplied to most residents. The council approved Mayor James Barberio's proposal for Parsippany to become part of a government energy aggregation program through which electricity for the town is purchased at lower rates at energy auctions. Under this plan, residents could save more than $150 per year on their individual electricity bills, according to Gabel and Associates, a Highland Park-based energy, environmental and public utility consulting firm the town has hired to take the actions necessary to implement the plan. According to the mayor's office, Gabel and Associates' services …
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Jonathan Nelson says making the town attorney an in-house, part-time position will save the township thousands of dollars.
Parsippany's newest Township Council member Jonathan Nelson wants the town to reconsider the way it handles legal issues. Nelson has drafted an ordinance proposal to bring the town's lawyer under the Town Hall umbrella and to establish a Department of Law, aka the Office of Township Attorney, that he said will be introduced at Tuesday's council agenda meeting. He told Patch he hopes to open discussion on an idea that he said would save the town money, make life easier for township department heads and boost government transparency. An early draft of the proposal lays out the idea: setting up a department at Town Hall that would be headed by an in-house lawyer appointed by the mayor with the advice and consent of the Township Council. The …
Saturday, January 26, 2013
With two official and one unofficial candidate announcements this week, Parsippany voters will have a decision to make come June.
The race for the 2013 Township Council Republican primary election is underway. On Saturday afternoon at Lake Hiawatha Park, Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce President Robert J. Peluso and retired Parsippany Police sergeant and Board of Education member Louis Valori announced their joint campaign for the town's lawmaking body. Speaking before a group of friends and family members, Peluso said their campaign is about honoring the past while investing in the future. "My running mate and I are standing here in the coldness of winter without a podium, without giveaways and fanfare ... as two responsible community leaders... officially declaring our candidacy for council," he stated. "Responsible leaders persevere and donʼt complain, they are…
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Resident tells council improved emergency communication—and establishing wards and districts to represent citizens more effectively—is essential.
For five days during Superstorm Sandy and its aftermath, some residents in Parsippany's Puddingstone neighborhood were trapped in their homes without power by downed wires for five days. The Town Council heard from one of those citizens, who insisted there is a need for better communications between town agencies and power companies during emergency situations. Judy Foster made her remarks during the public comment portion of its agenda meeting Tuesday night at Town Hall. Foster described how Sandy presented a frightening, potentially dangerous situation for those who live in Parsippany's southwesternmost section. "In Puddingstone Heights, there is one road in and one road out," she said. "We are a community of about 100 homes with one …
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Planner presented information on proposed amendments to township zoning laws.
The Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Council made quick work of approving 10 ordinances and ordinance amendments up for second reading and a final vote during its Tuesday night regular meeting. Among the unanimously accepted new laws were changes to established zoning regulations. Prior to the vote, the council heard an explanation of five proposed amendments from Edward Snieckus of Burgis Associates, the township Planning Board's professional planner. "These amendments were formulated from a review that the Planning Board conducted in 2010," Snieckus said. "There are a series of amendments recommended more for either housekeeping items, recommendations from the Zoning Board of Adjustment from their review of applications for variances, to …
Monday, November 5, 2012
Get to know your candidates and cast an informed vote Nov. 6.
Democrat Jonathan Nelson, who is running to fill the one-year unexpired term Township Council seat, knows he is the underdog in this race. He's a Democrat, the Republican Party has a firm, exclusive grip on every elected position in town that it intends to keep, and he's running against an opponent backed by GOP Mayor James Barberio. Nelson told Patch that he is determined to win to give representation to all Parsippany residents, even those who at present have no voice in their government. And not even a superstorm will deter him, he said. "For the past three days we have sent out nearly 100 volunteers to inform people whose polling districts had changed due to Sandy," he said. "We are still canvassing homes and apartments and will …
Get to know your candidates and cast an informed vote Nov. 6.
Republican Judy Tiedemann, running for the one-year unexpired term seat on the Parsippany Township Council, said she's ready to serve. On Aug, 27, after winning her party's nomination, the candidate told Patch that she is running to "make this town a better place" and to maintain the GOP's exclusive hold on legislative decisionmaking in Parsippany. She brings with her 15 years experience on the township's Board of Education, including six years as the school board's president. "I come to you with no hidden agenda, only a strong desire to consensus build and represent you and the members of our wonderful... party," she said on Aug. 27. She said her priority was to facilitate open discussion and encouraged people to use their voices at …
Monday, October 22, 2012
Have something to say? Send your Letter to the Editor to natalie.davis@patch.com.
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Monday, October 22, 2012
I am voting for Jonathan Nelson, Parsippany Council candidate. I have known Jonathan for seven years and during this time he has exhibited a true caring for Parsippany. He will represent all the people of Parsippany. Given his knowledge, experience, and future visions for Parsippany, the decision was not difficult. Jonathan has an excellent grasp of the issues and problems facing our township because he has attended Town Council, Zoning Board of Adjustment and Board of Education meetings on a regular basis. Jonathan has publicly addressed the council and mayor at council meetings with good preparation and suggestions. Jonathan Nelson will not disappoint his constituents. Vote Nov. 6, 2012. Roy Messmer Parsippany
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Purchases of severely damaged homes will create new open space in Lake Hiawatha.
The Parsippany Township Council unanimously approved the plan to buy homes that were substantially damaged in the 2011 tropical storm that came in Hurricane Irene's wake. The vote came during the body's Tuesday night meeting at Town Hall. The move executes a grant agreement between Parsippany and the N.J. Office of Emergency Management to make use of disaster relief funds under the Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Under the agreement, the town will use about $5 million in FEMA funds and additional money from the Morris County Flood Mitigation Program to cover the cost of purchasing the uninhabitable homes. The county program will release $1.676 million in county grant funds to provide a 25 percent match …
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Originally set to be on Reynolds Ave., Community Hope finds a new site for a home for developmentally disabled residents on Tabor Road.
Changes are coming to an affordable housing project being supported by the Township Council. At the body's agenda meeting last Tuesday, it was announced that next week, the council will take up a resolution to amend its agreement with nonprofit Community Hope to use $600,000 from Parsippany's Affordable Housing Trust Fund to fund a new supportive living residence for developmentally disabled people. Under the original agreement, the money would be used to acquire and rehabilitate a home on Reynolds Avenue for five disabled residents. J. Michael Armstrong, CEO of Community Hope, which helps mentally ill people and veterans with finding the housing they need, said it was forced to find an alternate location after the Reynolds Avenue building…
Robert Simpson
5:11 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
The third party suppliers do not produce any electricity. They bid on electricity from the producers the same way that JCP&L does, then they take some profit and sell it to the consumers. more ›