County asks for probe of Parsippany voting

Mindful of allegations of voting improprieties following the 2013 Republican primary in Parsippany — which resulted in a recount and a protracted court battle — the Morris County Board of Elections has sought “assistance in investigating this matter” from the state Attorney General’s Office.

Four election board commissioners signed a March 10 letter to the Attorney General’s Office in Whippany. Included with the letter were a spreadsheet of mail-in ballot returns in Parsippany for the GOP mayor and council primaries, and for the GOP Morris County freeholder primary, which produced disproportionally high totals for certain candidates.

“Over the last several years, we have spent a tremendous amount of time and effort in the courtroom due to questions raised regarding mail-in ballots used by local candidates and their representatives in the township of Parsippany,” the letter stated. “The Morris County Board of Elections, county clerk, county counsel, deputy attorney general’s office, third-party attorneys, candidates and voters have spent weeks in the courtroom testifying and arguing an array of apparently problematic mail-in ballot practices utilized by the local candidates.”

After the 2013 primary in Parsippany, incumbent Councilman Vincent Ferrara and another primary candidate, former Councilman Michael Strumolo, challenged the results in state Superior Court, Morristown. Both lost their primary bids to Louis Valori and Robert Peluso, whom they claim won because of voting improprieties that resulted in the victors receiving unusually high percentages of mail-in votes.

The final tally for that close primary placed Peluso on top with 2,087 votes, followed by Valori (1,799), Ferrara (1,730), Strumolo (1,712) and Ferrara’s running mate, Milin Shah (1,635). Those figures included 546 mail-in ballots for Peluso, or 71.8 percent of the 760 mail-in ballots cast, and 526 for Valori (69.3 percent), compared with 127 for Ferrara (16.7 percent), 123 for Shah (16.1 percent) and 72 for Strumolo (9.4 percent).

Valori and Peluso ran on a ticket with Council President Paul Carifi Jr., who lost his mayoral primary bid to incumbent James Barberio. Carifi received 608 mail-in ballots, or 80 percent, while Barberio, who was re-elected in November, received 147 mail-in votes, (19.3 percent).

Valori and Peluso went on to win the general election, while Carifi retained his council seat won in 2011. Carifi is back on the ballot for the June primary as one of six GOP candidates — including Ferrara — vying for three council seats.

Judge Thomas Weisenbeck presided over the 2013 challenge by Ferrara and Strumolo and, while saying “there is significant cause for concern,” dismissed the challenge because any alleged improprieties “did not impact a significant amount of ballots enough to change the vote.”

The board of elections, which also dealt with voter-fraud allegations originating in Parsippany in 2011, is hoping to avoid a similar conflict this year.

“In an effort to avoid the same scenario in the upcoming 2015 primary election, we request your assistance in investigating this matter,” the election board asked the attorney general in its letter.

Board Chairman George T. Hanley said the board is not an investigating body, and that its legal representation is the responsibility of the Attorney General’s Office.

“We gave them information that might indicate there were irregularities (in 2013),” he said. “We gave them the information and said ‘It’s up to you’ to determine if there should be an investigation.”

A spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office verified receipt of the letter but declined comment, saying it neither confirms nor denies investigations.

Ferrara and Shah issued a statement on Tuesday saying “Team Carifi’s election tactics have brought shame to Parsippany. I hope they refrain from their typical shenanigans and make this a fair election. If not, I will do my best to hold those accountable who commit wrongdoing.”

“This is nothing more then a sleazy political tactic exercised from two sore losers, Vinnie Ferrara and Milin Shah, which are completely false statements,” Valori said in response. “This is obviously a continuation of a voter-intimidation tactic for Parsippany residents not to vote by absentee ballot.”

“I was thrilled when I heard about the (election board) letter,” Shah said Tuesday. “I wanted them to investigate it in 2013, and if I had the financial means, I would have joined (Ferrara and Strumolo) in their suit. They should have won.”

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