Parsippany Council Candidates Rope in County GOP on Mailer Sent by Dem PAC

Political infighting is nothing new in Parsippany, but the campaign trail leading up to the Republican Primary Election this June seems to be gaining obstacles by the day.

As two separate trios of candidates vie for three open seats on the Parsippany Town Council, each led by an incumbent, the Morris County Republican Committee has now been roped in, after a Democratic Super PAC publically backing Hillary Clinton sent out a mailer on behalf of councilman Michael dePierro and his running mates last week.

The team of dePierro, joined by former councilman Vincent Ferrara and Loretta Gragnani, bills itself as the “conservative” team, but had a mailer sent to residents in Parsippany last week from New Jersey’s Future First, based in Washington, D.C.

A disclaimer on the mailer, however, says the material was paid for by New Jersey’s Future First “without the consent or approval of any candidate or committee.”

In an interview with the Daily Record last week, dePierro, whose name was misspelled on the mailer, said he had no clue who the organization was and had no part in creating the material. Ferrara joined him in the report saying he’d swear he had nothing to do with the letter.

The team of Carifi, Jr., Aida Visakay, and John Beehler, under the name of Parsippany Residents First, have sent a letter to John Sette, chairman of the Morris County Republican Committee, asking him to “weigh-in” and join the team in “denouncing this liberal PAC’s involvement in Morris County Republican politics.”

The letter, in full, states:

Morris County Republicans have a proud history of allowing Republican voters to choose their preferred nominee(s) in an open Republican Primary Election every June to take on the Democrats in the General Election. That’s why what is unfolding in Parsippany right now is so troubling and in need of your immediate attention.

Yesterday, the Daily Record, PolitickerNJ.com and Parsippany Focus all reported that a Washington, DC-based Super PAC that is tied to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and a slew of other Democrat candidates and liberal organizations in New Jersey and across the country had sent out a campaign mailing in support of Republican Councilman Mike dePierro and his Council running mates, Vincent Ferrara and Loretta Gragnani.

Yesterday we issued a press release challenging the dePierro team to explain their connection to this liberal PAC and its high-powered Democrat fundraiser. We questioned the motivation for a Washington, DC-based PAC’s involvement in a local Republican Primary for Township Council in Morris County. Moreover, we demanded the PAC disclose their donors so Republican voters in Parsippany can get a full picture of their funding sources and why they may have an interest in our town. In our opinion, this is a classic case of “follow the money.”

Predictably, Councilman dePierro claimed he knew nothing about the PAC or who was behind it. Stunningly, however, Councilman dePierro – someone who claims to be a “conservative” – embraced this liberal organizations’ message and refused to denounce its involvement on his behalf, and even told the Daily Record that: “I just hope if they send out any more fliers, they spell my name right.”

His comments were outrageous – and should offend every Republican in Morris County, let alone just Parsippany. As Chairman of our Party, we are calling on you to step forward and publicly denounce this Obama-Clinton connected, liberal PAC sticking its nose into a Republican Primary in Morris County. We urge you to join our call for the PAC’s Treasurer, Jennifer May, to provide full disclosure of their donors that are financing mailers in Parsippany, and publicly demand that Councilman dePierro and his running mates denounce the PAC as well.

We urge your immediate attention to this matter and look forward to your response.

The mailer tussle comes at the same time the Morris County Board of Elections has asked the attorney general to investigate mail-in ballots from the 2013 Parsippany Primary Election.

What do you think, Parsippany? Is there something wrong with the mailer, or is it OK? Tell us in the comments.

Pictured: The front of a mailer sent to residents in support of three Parsippany council candidates from a Democrat-backing super PAC.

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