MUNICIPAL FLASHPOINT: Parsippany Mayoral Race Heating Up
The mysterious drones are becoming a major focal point in this heated primary
Parsippany Councilman Justin Musella, who is seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Mayor James Barberio in the June 2025 primary election, took aim at Barberio on two separate occasions. Yesterday, Musella grilled Barberio for being absent at a recent township council meeting, where residents were concerned about the mysterious drones appearing in the night sky. Parsiappny is a town where there has been frequent drone activity.
It’s an egregious betrayal of public trust when this Mayor fails to show up at a pivotal briefing about drone activity over Parsippany—an issue the FBI itself has labeled concerning. Instead of indulging in holiday hors d’oeuvres, social events, and photo ops, this full-time employed mayor should have prioritized this serious matter of public safety. A competent leader would have sent a representative to the party and ensured our township’s concerns were heard at today’s meeting, which was attended by other Mayors throughout Morris County and the state.
Mayor Barberio’s decision to skip this briefing sends a clear message: our community’s safety is not his priority. As mayor, I will ensure Parsippany is never left out of critical discussions affecting our residents.
Today, Musella went after Barberio again. This time, after the mayor was absent for a state briefing on drones for all mayors.
I listened to the mayor on 101.5 this morning for his two minutes on the drone situation and wanted to comment on a few things. While his promises of better communication on this issue are nice, it shouldn't have gotten to this point in the first place. Residents are rightfully concerned about these flights and Parsippany should have been represented at the drone briefing with the state. It's also wholly unacceptable that only after being shamed - he now claims he's going to take this issue seriously and provide briefings to the public. From previous situations that required his attention it remains to be seen whether or not he actually follows through on this. We need strong leadership in Town Hall more than ever, and this reactive style of management does nothing to assure residents. If elected, I will always put the best interests of our town first and ensure that our voices are heard at the state level and above.
Republican infighting in Parsippany is nothing new, as both factions of the party have been at odds with each other for decades. Both Barberio and Musella have their own picks for Governor. Barberio formally endorsed Bill Spadea, while Musella hosted a meet and greet for Jon Bramnick. In addition, Musella was the only Council member to vote against proposed payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) programs that served as a detriment to Parsippany Public Schools.
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Spicy!