In Parsippany, a fight to become GOP municipal chair

There’s a battle brewing in Parsippany where Mayor James Barberio and school board acting president Suzy Golderer are expected to face off in a race for GOP municipal chair.

The fight follows an acrimonious Republican primary that put Barberio mostly on the losing side and may have pushed him into running himself rather than pin his hopes on a figurehead candidate.

State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio (R-Montville) won Parsippany with a massive 56% of the vote over Barberio’s candidate, Tom Mastrangelo.   In the Assembly race, Barberio endorsed incumbent Jay Webber (R-Morris Plains) and off-the-line challenger BettyLou DeCroce, a former lawmaker from Parsippany.  Webber easily carried Parsippany with 2,159 votes, but another incumbent, Brian Bergen (R-Denville) thumped DeCroce, 1,727 to 1,240, with a fourth candidate, former Parsippany Councilman Rob Peluso, finishing 84 votes in front of DeCroce.

Bergen has taken sides in the race, endorsing Golderer for municipal chair.

“The next few months are about the future of Parsippany. It is not about egos or personal ambitions; it is about doing what’s best for the community,” said Bergen.  “Susy has proven her ability to work with all the factions and bring people together on a winning team.  She is the leader we need.”

But Webber is instead proposing a compromise: Barberio for municipal chairman and Golderer for vice chair.

“Because Jamie must be able to get our political operation in line with his goals and vision for these two crucial elections, and because his stature as Mayor uniquely empowers him to do so, Jamie is perfectly positioned to be the chairman Parsippany needs right now,” Webber said.  “Susy is a wonderful person and public servant.  She serves Parsippany well on the School Board, and you will not meet a more honest, earnest, or hard-working woman in politics.  Susy deserves a position of authority in our Party because, quite simply, she will always do her best to do what is right.”

Three Republicans who won a contested GOP primary for Parsippany Township Council are supporting Golderer for vice chair, even though she backed their primary opponents.

“We ran a clean campaign free of personal attacks in (the) media, and we have no interest in post-primary recriminations against anyone.  Instead, we want and need Parsippany Republicans to come together, including Susy, Danny, Gary, and all Republicans who supported them,” said Paul Carifi, Jr., Adam Kandil and Matt McGrath. “Together, a unified team of Jamie and Susy could be a win-win for all Republicans, regardless of past allegiances.”

It’s still not clear how many seats on the the 78-member Republican county committee are filled, since  write-ins haven’t been certified and some appointments have been made.

Louis Valori had served as municipal chairman until his resignation last year.  The vice chair, Dee dePierro, replaced him.