Justin Musella, a 32-year-old councilman from Parsippany, is expected to launch his bid for mayor of Parsippany on Saturday, announcing plans to challenge incumbent Jamie Barberio in the June 2025 Republican primary, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed.
The two Republicans have sparred for most of the last three years, with Musella alleging that Barberio’s budget process lacks transparency and criticizing the mayor’s inability to deliver tax cuts.
Musella was elected to the council in 2021 after local Republicans split their ticket in a contested – and divisive – primary.
After losing his seat to Democrat Michael Soriano in 2017, Barberio sought a rematch and formed a ticket that included two council candidates, school board members Frank Neglia and Deborah Orme. In the primary, he faced former Council President Louis Valori and his running mates, former school board member Gary Martin and Musella.
Barberio won the primary by 185 votes, 52%-48%. Musella was the top vote-getter in the council race, coming in 85 votes in front of Neglia, who led Martin by 46 votes and Orme by 275. Former Councilman Rob Peluso came in fifth, 565 votes behind Musella
In the general election, he was the top vote-getter, leading Neglia by 291 votes and running 1,002 votes ahead of Democrat Judith Hernandez. (Hernandez won a seat last year by just two votes.)
Barberio was first elected mayor in 2009 and re-elected in 2013. Soriano ousted him in 2017 by 834 votes, 53%-47%.