Parsippany Council Primary Too Close To Call For Republican Slate

Correction: A previous version of the article had the incorrect vote tallies for Musella and Martin in the bottom portion.

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Parsippany looks to be getting a rematch. Mayor James Barberio leads Parsippany's Republican mayoral primary. Victory would set him up to face Democratic incumbent Michael Soriano in the General Election.

Barberio had 2,275 votes, while Louis A. Valori received 2,013, according to the unofficial tally at 11:30 p.m. as of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The Republican primary for Town Council wasn't as clear late Tuesday night. Justin Musella leads all candidates with 1,763 votes as of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, while Frank Neglia has 1,758 votes. Gary R. Martin sits third with 1,629.

The Morris County clerk must certify results before they're officials. No Republican candidates have publicly declared victory or conceded.

Barberio ran with Neglia and Orme, while the "Parsippany First" ticket featured mayoral candidate Louis A. Valori and council hopefuls Musella and Martin.

Soriano bested Barberio in 2017, earning about 53 percent of the vote. Barberio served as mayor from 2010-18.

Parsippany currently faces budgetary issues, and Soriano's administration proposed that the township receive a $2.3 million loan. The loan amount — reduced from the originally proposed $5 million — would allow the township to repay it in full next year with federal COVID relief money.

Read more: Emergency Loan Proposal Slashed More Than 50% In Parsippany

While the pandemic exacerbated Parsippany's budgetary issues, the conflict has amplified discussions of how Soriano and Barberio have handled township finances.

Soriano blamed Barberio's administration for putting Parsippany behind on the budget.

"A combination of poor fiscal practices from the previous administration led to an absence of revenue surpluses across all departments," Soriano said. "Now, coupled with a global pandemic that shook the country’s financial institutions to their core, Parsippany is facing a budgetary storm that we must address and correct today."

But Barberio claims Soriano's administration has put forth "gross mismanagement and incompetence" in terms of finances.

"Mayor Soriano raised water rates an astounding 39 percent this year," Barberio said. "Huge tax increases are all but certain. Parsippany has a fiscal crisis on the horizon due entirely to Mayor Soriano's incompetence. I will run on my record of proven financial management. Keeping taxes low, creating surplus in the Township's water and sewer utilities, and negotiating strong financial agreements with developers were hallmarks of my administration."

Here are the real-time results for Parsippany's elections:

Mayor (Democratic)

• Michael Soriano: 1,837

Mayor (Republican)

• James R. Barberio: 2,275
• Louis A. Valori: 2,013

Town Council (Democratic)

• Cori A. Herbig: 1,741
• Judith Hernandez: 1,770

Town Council (Republican)

• Justin Musella: 1,763
• Gary Martin: 1,629
• Frank Neglia: 1,758
• Deborah Orme: 1,485
• Robert Peluso: 1,269

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