Tony Parenti, ex-Fanwood councilman and police chief, dies at 87

Anthony Parenti, the longtime Fanwood Chief of Police who later served on the Borough Council, died on August 1.  He was 87.

Parenti is the father of William Parenti, the police chief in North Plainfield and the Republican nominee for Somerset County Sheriff.

Tony Parenti spent more than 40 years with the Fanwood Police Department, including 22 years as chief before retiring in 1997.  Before taking a job in Fanwood, Parenti was a Plainfield police officer.  He is a former New Jersey State Association of Police Chiefs president.

He was elected to the Fanwood Borough Council in 2007, defeating Democrat Bill Populus, who had been appointed to fill a vacancy earlier that year after previously serving three terms as a councilman.

Parenti was the top vote-getter with 1,049 votes, followed by three-term Democratic incumbent Katherine Mitchell (999).  Parenti’s GOP running mate, Joel Stroz, finished third with 977 votes, followed by Populus (960).

In 2010, Parenti was re-elected to a second term by 44 votes against Democrat Kevin Boris, 1,289 to 1,245.  Mitchell (1,350) finished first and Republican Jason Benedict came in fourth with 1,183 votes.

He did not seek re-election in 2013 and Democrat Tom Kranz won his open seat.

Parenti was a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in the Korean War.