Eight-way race for township council

Parsippany is making up for last year's break from local elections with an eight-way contest this November for three seats on the township council.

The Republican nominees are incumbent Michael dePierro, 68, who is seeking a seventh term, Jamie Barberio, 47, and John Fox, 65.

The Democrats, who are hoping to stop a streak that has kept them off the governing body since 1987, are David Comora, 45, Susan Elbin, 53, and Millin Shah, 20.

Although both an incumbent and a Republican, James Vigilante, 43, made a tactical decision to seek a fourth term as an independent. The builder said he will remain in the GOP, for which he serves as a county committeeman, after the Nov. 6 election.

Also running as an independent is Roy Messmer, 51, who garnered 320 votes in an independent run for mayor in 2005.

Part of Vigilante's reasons had to do with a split in the GOP that prompted Barberio to run alone in the primary. But he is now listed on campaign signs with dePierro and Fox.

On the Democratic side, meanwhile, Shah had his own fundraiser, frequently campaigns alone and has separate signs and campaign accounts from Elbin and Shah. But the Drew University junior, who hopes to go to law school, said the separation was only "administrative" and the team is united. His running mates agree. "There's no rift," Comora said.

In door-to-door campaigning, Shah said he hears repeated complaints that there is too much bick ering on the all-Republican council, a body he said is too remote from Parsippany's 50,000 residents. Nowhere on the township Web site is there a way of finding out how to reach council members by phone or e-mail. He promises to establish such links and bring "more communication."

Comora said he would like to bring to the council the business expertise he has acquired as co- owner of a company that produces education materials for health professionals. "I have no hostility toward Republicans but this is an opportunity to bring fresh insight to the process," he said.

Elbin, a member of the planning board, said she wants to draw on her experience as a senior scientist with the Wildlife Trust in New York to improve Parsippany's sense of community with more walking and bike paths and to explore ways municipal facilities can save energy.

Barberio, comptroller for a Summit company, is seeking to re claim the seat he gave up after one term to run for the Republican mayoral nomination in 2005. His platform includes a "taxpayer protection act" to require voter approval if the increase in the municipal budget exceeds the prior year's inflation rate. He said he would also work to allow annual sewer fees, which average $479 per home, to be deductible from income taxes.

In his campaign, dePierro said he is stressing the need for a concerted effort to fill vacant stores and offices in a bid to take some of the tax burden off homeowners, who are responsible for more than half of it.

Fox, a former sheriff and freeholder who also ran unsuccessfully for the 2005 GOP mayoral nomination, said he would work with the school district to ferret out non-residents among the 7,200 stu dents who attend Parsippany schools. At an average annual cost of $13,000 each, Fox said this is an unnecessary drain on taxpayers. Superintendent Lee Seitz said he does not believe the problem is widespread because the district maintains a rigorous screening process.

Messmer, a broker of imported car parts, acknowledged he has not been attending as many council meetings as he once did. While he remains "outspoken on a lot of is sues," he said he throttled back on campaigning after he found "people don't know what's going on."

Parsippany council members are paid $12,589 and serve four-year terms.

 

Al Frank may be reached at (973) 539-7910 or afrank@starledger.com.