PILOT Deals keep passing despite Grassroots Opposition

Mayor and Council Continue to Ignore Citizens on PILOT Deals

We see here that "We the People" matter little in our reasoning and rejection of "more pilot-deals" by this administration, in league with attorney John Inglesino. The whole matter smells of corruption, and cronyism. The conflicts of interest are obvious. The mayor and his followers, (but for Councilman Musella) have denied any real debate, nor has there been any transparency, rather we have a fast track, one sided ; this is what is going to happen. We are being dictated to.

Mayor Barberio has boosted in the past about how he meets with and makes deals with developers, and sings his song about how bad the economy is as an excuse, to help an already rich developer get even richer, by another form of tax-evasion. The economy is always good for certain people, who are in reality beyond any economy in their wealth advantage.

The fact that attorney Inglesino was, in the recent past, unanimously voted out as town attorney, finally after several attempts, and his refusal to leave at the time being supported by the then Mayor Barberio, after his loss to Mayor Soriano, has been returned under Barberio again.

Inglesino law firm used Parsippany as a cash-cow for his frivolous, and seemly staged lawsuits. He was being paid by Parsippany taxpayers, but. He was helping his developer friend, Waterview is the best example. Public housing has been used as a fear tactic rather than a responsibility. Barberio's "hang on to your wallets" rhetoric during the past mayor election, really meant hang on to your wallets, until i get re-elected, as now we have his threats of additional tax raises, unless we allow these PILOT deals. The term "blight" is being misconstrued purposely, as an additional falsehood.

PILOT deals amount to a race to the bottom, and the demise of local grassroots democracy here in Parsippany. The disparity of treatment allowing rich real estate developers tax abatements, while citizens, especially seniors on set incomes, are given no relief from BOE taxes, having no children in the schools stands as an injustice.

The developers Facts About PILOTS, made available to the public at the last Council Debacle, is pure hyperbole. For example: Fact 2 PILOTS Do Not Bring Additional School Children to Parsippany. Board of Education propaganda stating that PILOTS will bring school children to Parsippany is false. The fact is that affordable Housing mandates are creating these developments -not PILOTs. This asinine, pointless alleged fact, ignores the fact, that PILOTs do not contribute to the BOE tax. That most PILOTs in favor of the developers profits, not the communities benefits.

Another fabricated fact, never a BOE contention: BOE mantra that PILOTS will cause cuts in programs to Parsippany children is a lie. However, the programs may be more in demand with more students is a possibility.

Redevelopment does not mean tax abatements, especially in prime real estate places like Parsippany. The smell of corruption is obvious, in that these corporate developers are contributing campaign donations to local political candidates. Inglesino is not only a real estate developer attorney by a Republican Party hack, preaching to his choir here in Parsippany.

We already have an extremely regressive tax system; Citizens United (Corporations United) has allowed dark money, and independent expenditures of no limits to candidates that pucker up to donations. This is what corporate power does by evading taxes, they use the money to buy their cronies, and demise democracy. This is now playing out in Parsippany in a blatant in our face manner. Shame is the right word, as the common good itself is forever leaving American politics as a virtue to be held in our way of civic life.

We need some higher authority to look into what has been happening in Parsippany. Is there any longer such an authority? Perhaps this after-all is the age of corruption.