NEWS

Parsippany council blocks Inglesino appointment

William Westhoven
@WWesthoven

PARSIPPANY – The Township Council on Tuesday voted down the appointment confirmations of several township counsels, some of whom have sided with Mayor James Barberio in an ongoing feud with three of its members.

Topping the list was Township Attorney John Inglesino, who enters a second year handling township legal matters without a confirmed appointment since 2013.

The resolutions to confirm conflict counsel Michael B. Lavery, labor counsel Stephen E. Trimboli and special legal counsel Todd M. Galante also were voted down at the annual township reorganization meeting, with council President Paul Carifi Jr., Louis Valori and Robert Peluso casting the "no" votes in each case.

They also voted against the reappointment of Gerald B. Scala as municipal judge.

Barberio and the entire five-member council are Republicans.

"For me personally, I wasn't satisfied with the services we were receiving, and I thought we might find someone who could do a better job," Carifi said of the opposing votes he cast.

"I will remain township attorney in a holdover capacity as I did last year," Inglesino told the Daily Record on Wednesday. "I can tell you that the other attorneys voted down by three council members are outstanding attorneys who have represented the township's interests extraordinarily well for many years. All of these attorneys have routinely been confirmed by the council for many years. Judge Scala will remain as a holdover."

Carifi said the next step would be for Barberio to present new nominations to fill the posts.

"My administration is reviewing the extent of the damage to Parsippany based on last night's irresponsible actions taken by Carifi, Valori and Peluso," Barberio said on Wednesday. "All of these attorneys have represented the township's interests well for many years."

Carifi, Valori and Peluso also held up Inglesino's reappointment last year in a tense, public confrontation with Barberio that escalated throughout the year and has yet to be resolved.

At the 2014 reorganization meeting, Carifi called for Inglesino's resignation, while Barberio produced a letter from Michael Lavery opining, as special counsel, that Carifi's and Valori's separate and ongoing conflicts with Inglesino would taint the council's vote on Inglesino's reappointment.

As a result, Inglesino's confirmation was tabled, although he continued to perform as township attorney. The conflict continued to manifest in subsequent months, with the council voting to file ethics charges against Inglesino and Barberio, and Barberio doing the same against them. Barberio also produced another letter from Lavery, claiming the council exceeded its authority in passing the resolutions.

Carifi, Valori and Peluso also voted in July to pass a resolution to establish a committee as a whole to investigate Inglesino. When Barberio refused to submit or negotiate a contract for an attorney to perform the investigation, the council filed suit to seek a court order authorizing a retainer.

The conflict between the two camps dates back to at least 2011, when Carifi's brother, former township police Capt. James Carifi, filed suit against the township and then-Police Chief Michael Peckerman for allegedly blocking his promotion to deputy chief.

The township police later launched an internal investigation of James Carifi, who was alleged to have stolen 960,000 electronic documents when he retired in 2013. The state attorney general's Division of Criminal Justice, which oversaw that investigation, announced in November that it was declining to pursue criminal charges.

Paul Carifi repeatedly characterized the investigation as political retaliation orchestrated by Barberio and Inglesino against him. Paul Carifi ran for mayor in 2013 on a ticket with Peluso and Valori. Barberio won in that contest, but Peluso and Valori prevailed over Milin Shah and incumbent Councilman Vincent Ferrara, who ran on Barberio's ticket.

The litigation delayed township approval of James Carifi's pension and payout for accrued unused sick and vacation time for more than a year. Trimboli argued before the State Parole Board on behalf of the township when it sought to deny those payouts.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that Paul Carifi votes against Steve Trimboli just a few days after Steve Trimboli sent brother James Carifi a notice indicating that the township is proceeding with an administrative hearing against James Carifi for serious charges of workplace misconduct," Barberio said. "In past years, Paul Carifi voted to confirm Steve Trimboli. What's changed? Mr. Trimboli is now representing the township's interest against his brother James."

James Carifi in November also prevailed in court when he challenged current Police Chief Paul Philipps' rejection of his application for a firearms purchaser identification card.

Two public defenders (including former Township Councilman and current Morris County Freeholder Director John Cesaro), several other professionals and various volunteer committee members were approved for 2015 during the reorganization.

One notable exception was Milin Shah's brother, Amil Shah, who spoke during the public session to question why he was not reappointed to his alternate position on the Zoning Board Of Adjustment. Asked about the criteria behind their decisions, Paul Carifi and Valori told him that length of residency and job knowledge were among them.

Milin Shah also spoke at the meeting in defense of his brother, implying politics played a role in their decision.

"You reappointed 74 percent of those volunteers who served previously and singled out a few members, one being my brother," Milin Shah said to the council. "I want it on the record whether or not you decided against reappointing my brother because I ran for council against your ticket."

"I'll state absolutely not," Carifi said.

Peluso said, "It's always nice to give people an opportunity within the community," and noted he was previously on the Municipal Alliance Committee for 12 years before being "removed without reason, and I didn't ask for a reason."

Paul Carifi, Valori and Peluso also voted against an agreement authorization to retain AlphaDog Solutions for maintenance of the township website.

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-428-6627; wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com.