Musella raises $100k this week for Parsippany mayoral bid

Justin Musella, a Parsippany councilman seeking the GOP nomination for mayor, said he raised over $100,000 this week at an event headlined by Middletown Mayor Tony Perry.

The Republican incumbent, James Barberio, announced that Councilman Frank Neglia and Jigar Shah would run with him.  GOP leaders had sought to broker a unity ticket with Musella seeking re-election to the council on the Barbero slate; he declined.

Assemblymen Jay Webber (R-Morris Plains) and Brian Beren (R-Denville) formally announced their endorsement of Barberio. 

HAMILTON (ATLANTIC)

Thelma Witherspoon kicked off her re-election campaign for a second term on the Hamilton Township Committee. She said Yvette Soto, a former American Red Cross employee who now runs a small business, will run with her.

“For the past three years, I’ve had the great honor of serving the residents of Hamilton Township,” Witherspoon. said. “Yvette and I look forward to earning the voters’ support so that we can continue to achieve results for the residents of our great township.”

Witherspoon, a pastor and former Atlantic City school board member, was elected Atlantic County freeholder in 2020, but her election was voided after a judge found that the county clerk, a Democrat, had mailed the wrong ballots to some voters.

Mayor Carl Pitale, a Republican, is also up this year.

ATLANTIC COUNTY COMMISSIONER

Rev. Collins Days, Sr., the pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Atlantic City, will seek the Democratic nomination for Atlantic Commissioner.  He has the backing of the incumbent, William Coursey, who announced that he will not seek reelection.

“I fell in love with this area when I first came to preach here 30 years ago,” Days stated.  “Atlantic County is a wonderful place to live, but many of our folks are struggling to make ends meet. When I heard that Commissioner Coursey was not seeking re-election, I knew that the residents of Absecon Island needed a strong advocate like Ernest to help lower costs, improve our roads, and help those in need.