Monday, July 23, 2012
If you have something you want to express, send your Letter to the Editor to natalie.davis@patch.com.
In this Letter to the Editor, Township Council member Michael dePierro shares his response to Mayor James Barberio's statements regarding the mayor's decision to go ahead with an appointment to create a fourth Parsippany Police captain rather than enter another debate of the matter with the full council. So the mayor called me a liar! I guess that he forgot that no councilman may speak for, or vote for, the entire Township Council. I admitted, for the record, that I had agreed with the police chief at our meeting. But upon arriving home, I was still not comfortable withhaving a fourth police captain. I called the mayor and chief and told them that I still had trouble supporting a fourthcaptain. I had assumed that the entire Township …
Friday, July 20, 2012
Controversial appointment has each side insisting that the other is telling untruths. What do you think?
More than 24 hours after Mayor James Barberio moved ahead with the creation of a fourth captain's spot for the Parsippany Police Department, it appears the rancor between disagreeing sides has not died. The issue at hand is what did the mayor and the council agree to during its July 10 meeting. Councilman Michael dePierro made a motion to change a township ordinance in order to restrict the police to having three captains, rather than the four now permissible under law. The mayor criticized the idea, saying he needed a fourth captain to head up the Office of Emergency Management and protect public safety. At the meeting, dePierro was asked to put off his motion. To avoid having a quorum—and triggering sunshine laws—Council President Brian…
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Councilmen and residents argue with mayor after Jeffrey Storms bumped to captain.
When the new Parsippany Police Capt. Jeffrey Storms finally was sworn in, the business portion of the Township Council's Tuesday night meeting began—and much of the session focused on bickering over whether the promotion was the right thing to do. The primary combatants were Mayor James Barberio and Councilman Paul Carifi Jr. The two traded verbal jabs and accused the other of putting politics above the best interests of Parsippany residents. Barberio and Police Chief Anthony DeZenzo cast doubt on the motives of those who disagreed publicly with their decision to promote Storms. The mayor commented regarding Councilman Michael dePierro's proposed amendment to limit the police to three captains. "Five years ago, we had an agreement to leave…
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Mayor blasts councilmen for getting in the way of his efforts to 'run the town.'
Amidst a storm of controversy, Parsippany Police Lt. Jeffrey Storms was sworn in as the township's fourth captain. The promotion ceremony took place at Town Hall Tuesday night. Mayor James Barberio praised Storms' efforts during the crisis of Hurricane Irene last summer, and said it was necessary for public safety and preparedness to have senior-level police management to oversee the town's Office of Emergency Management. "As the mayor, my priority is public safety," he explained. Council members Michael dePierro, Paul Carifi Jr. and James Vigilante have criticized the mayor's move, saying there is a greater need for more patrol officers than for additional higher-ranking officers. DePierro told Patch during a recess that despite the …
Robert Simpson
3:53 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Well patchitup (Jerry Manning), I guess you are mad because you don't have the intelligence to evaluate a situation or the courage to use your name. Jerry, write the following down on paper because you don't have enough grey matter to remember. I requested that the town upgrade a dangerous grade crossing with wayside horns at a cost of $70,000. The town engineer recomended a $700,000 … more ›