Parsippany Primary Showdown: Barberio Back In The Hunt For Mayor

PARSIPPANY, NJ - Defeated by Michael Soriano in 2017, James Barberio is back and looking to reclaim the mayoral seat. But first he has to get through members of his own party.

Barberio filed to run by Monday's 4 p.m. deadline, and is on a Republican ticket with Frank Neglia and Deborah Orme looking to claim council seats. This sets up a showdown with another ticket of Republicans comprised of Lou Valori, Justin Musella and Gary Martin. Valori is a former council president looking to take a crack at mayor while Musella and Martin are seeking seats on the dais as council members as members of the "Parsippany First" ticket.

Former Council Vice President Robert Peluso has also joined the mix in seeking his party's nomination.

The winner of the June 8 primary showdown will face Democratic Mayor Michael Soriano and council candidates Cori Herbig and Judy Hernandez in the general election.

The political composition has changed since Soriano defeated Barberio by a little over 800 votes. For the first time in township history, registered Democratic voters now outnumber registered Republican voters in Parsippany. As of April 1, the township is home to 11,700 registered Democrats and 11,659 registered Republicans, according to officials.

“We’ve been seeing a shift towards the Democratic Party for several years in Parsippany,” said township Democratic Chair Matt Clarkin. “Part of that has been extensive engagement with the community by our volunteers. But a lot of it has been a natural shift as the Republican Party has moved far to the right of Parsippany voters.”

Three years ago, Parsippany was home to 9,427 registered Democrats and 11,916 registered Republicans. In just three years, Democrats have gained 2,273 voters, while Republicans have lost 257 voters.

Parsippany Democrats have also seen greater success at the ballot box in recent years. In 2020, both Joe Biden and Cory Booker won the township by 12 points. Mikie Sherrill won the township by 14 points, and Democratic Freeholder candidate Cary Amaro won Parsippany by nine points.

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