Crime & Safety

Union County News: The Week in Review

Cranford man's arrest for murder of girlfriend dominates dominates week's news.

The week was dominated by news that Cranford man Bill Parisio was arrested on charges of first-degree homicide in the death of his girlfriend, Pamela Schmidt. Schmidt's body was found in the basement of the Parisio family's Greaves Street home on Sunday afternoon. Parisio was in Union County Superior Court Friday for his first appearance. He remains held in Union County Jail on $400,000 bail. No new court dates have been scheduled.

Parisio has been linked to use of a drug known as "bath salts," a drug that mimics the "high" users get from methamphetamine. The active ingredient in the drug, MDPV, doesn't qualify it to be called a drug, allowing it to be sold in smoke shops and convenience stores. Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) has sponsored legislation to have in banned in shops.

In other news around the county:

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Berkeley Heights/Mountainside

The Mountainside Board of Education held a drawing to determine its candidates at the Mountainside Board of Education building, which is located alongside the Beechwood School, on Thursday, March 17.

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Two separate elections will be held; an election for one seat for a one-year term between Carolyn Williams and Jeane Parker, and an election between three people—Cathy Jakositz, Dante Gioia, and Maureen Hess—for two of the board’s three-year terms

The next major date for the election process is Wednesday, April 6. That is when the Mountainside PTA will host a “Meet the Candidates” event at the Beechwood School, beginning at 6:30 PM in the school’s library and media center.

The event, which takes place just three weeks before the April 27 election, is a way to keep the public informed.

“That’s an opportunity for the public and larger community to come out and learn more about the candidates," said District Superintendent Jeannette Baubles.

From there, residents will have three weeks to weigh the issues before electing their Board of Education members on Wednesday, April 27. The election, which has been moved eight days later than usual to avoid conflict with the Easter and Passover holidays, will be held at three venues: Mountainside Borough Hall, which is located at 1385 U.S. 22 East, Community Presbyterian Church of Mountainside, located at 1449 Deer Path, and Deerfield School, which resides at 302 Central Avenue.

Polls will be open at all three locations from 2-9 p.m. on the day of the election.

In other news, at the regularly scheduled meeting, the Mountainside Borough Council approved resolutions regarding the 2011 Municipal Budget, including the scheduling of the public hearing for April 19th at 8:00 p.m. at Borough Hall.

The council also approved the “Self Examination” of the budget, which states that the budget complies with all regulations. The Council approved the first reading of an ordinance establishing a cap bank, allowing the Borough to collect up to the two percent tax cap or a 3.5 percent cost of living adjustment over the previous year’s final appropriations. The budget will be available prior to the hearing on the Borough website, in the Administrator’s office and at the public library. 

The Council approved the second reading of an ordinance to appropriate $190,000 in funds for the resurfacing of Pembrook Road, which will later be reimbursed to the Borough through a New Jersey Department of Transportation grant. 

Other resolutions approved included the application to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for a Municipal Recycling Tonnage Grant, the appointment of 2011 Pool Management Staff and the renewal of a contract with Valley Health Medical Group for random drug testing of employees with a CDL.

As well, the council approved the waiving of pool fees for the PTA sponsored 8th Grade Pool Party, the appointment of a spring track and field coach and the refunding of duplicate tax payments.

The Council also awarded a $34,297.70 contract to National Water Main Cleaning Company for the TV inspection and cleaning of 18” sanitary sewer lines, after receiving four bids for the project. 

Remaining 2010 budget transfers to cover snow removal costs and 2011 temporary budget appropriations for fire prevention and snow removal were also approved.

Cranford

 entered a "not guilty" plea Friday morning to the charge of first-degree homicide. The Cranford resident is accused of killing  his 22-year-old longtime girlfriend Pamela Schmidt, her body discovered in the basement of his house at 17 Greaves Place on Sunday by police. Investigators called the cause of death "severe trauma."

As new details emerge about Bill Parisio, the Cranford man accused of murdering his girlfriend, Pamela Schmidt, Sunday afternoon in his family's Greaves Street Avenue home, some local lawmakers have introduced legislation to ban a new drug known as "bath salts." Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) has introduced legislation to ban Methylenedioxypyrovalerone in New Jersey, the primary drug in bath salts. In drug circles, the substance earned its nickname since it visually resembles therapeutic salts used in home tubs and spas. Those, available in convenience stores and smoke shops around the state, has been blamed by Dianne Parisio, the mother of Bill Parisio, as contributing to her son’s erratic behavior in the days leading up to the murder. In previous reports, Mrs. Parisio said her son began using the drug in December.

 

New Providence

The girls' varsity basketball team were off to a rough start in the first half of the Group 1 state title game last Sunday. But the Lady Pioneers did what they do best, playing tenacious defense, scoring at critical junctures, and forging . This is the team's second straight NJSIAA Group 1 state title.

Sophomore guard  led the way for New Providence (24-5) by scoring 11 of her game-high 16 points after the break.

The Lady Pioneers traveled along a nearly identical path as last season. The re-occurrences continued Tuesday night as St. John Vianney stopped the Lady Pioneers’ campaign with . The Lady Lancers were responsible for ending the Lady Pioneers season last year in the same round at the same location.

The Lady Pioneers won 24 games this season and like last year, they bounced back from a  by winning the  and the Group 1 state championship, setting up a repeat showdown with St. John Vianney in the Tournament of Champions. But the Lady Lancers jumped out to a 13-0 lead to quickly smother any chance New Providence had to avenge last season’s crushing defeat.

Senior Forward , who will play Division 3 basketball at Muhlenberg College this fall, finished with 12 points.  finished with six and will play Division 3 basketball at Connecticut College next year.

 In other news, council members, Chief of Police Anthony D. Buccelli and Deputy Chief Scott Torre  that would allow police officers to enter homes of any underage people who are illegally consuming alcohol.

Under the current ordinance, police officers can only enter homes of individuals under the age of 17 who are illegally consuming alcohol, which has created a number of problems for the New Providence Police Department.

Police officers can take action with individuals under 17, returning them to their parents because they are juveniles, but it can sometimes be difficult to determine who is 17 and who is 18 years old.

Torre noted that in 2000, the state passed legislation enabling municipalities around the state to pass an ordinance that would be more restrictive than the state statute on the underage possession of alcohol on private property. Although such an ordinance is in place in New Providence, it does not allow police to enforce the borough ordinance for individuals aged 18 to 20, which the NPPD is trying to amend.

Torre said this is both a safety and law enforcement issue, and many young individuals in the area know that New Providence does not enforce the underage possession of alcohol for individuals aged 18 to 20 on private property.

New Providence would not be the first to enact such an ordinance in the state. Out of 566 municipalities in New Jersey, 454 responded to a survey sent out by the borough. A total of 305 municipalities were found to have such an ordinance already in place, including the neighboring communities of Summit, Chatham, Berkeley Heights and Mountainside.

After much discussion, Mayor J. Brooke Hern wanted a council vote on amending this ordinance. However, it will be placed on the next meeting agenda. Both Torre and Buccelli will be available at the meeting to answer any further questions from the council and questions from the public.

Scotch Plains/Fanwood

There's no shortage of basketball talent in Scotch Plains and Fanwood. Resident Ashton Gibbs, who grew-up playing basketball for the Fanwood Flames before moving on to Seton Hall prep, is helping lead the University of Pittsburgh in the NCAA tournament. He scored 26 points in the Panthers' first-round game against UNC-Asheville, which Pittsburgh won 74-51. .

Springfield

Springfield released its. Property owners may be alarmed to see that their municipal property tax bill is increasing by an average of $375. Springfield Deputy Mayor emphasized that the spike was misleading. The tax bill includes RVSA fees, which residents paid as a separate utility bill last year. Amlen said that once the RVSA fees are accounted for, the increase is less than the previous year’s.

 In other Springfield government news, the township continues to  over the non-profit organization’s lease for the township-owned Chisholm Community Center. The Y pays $12,000 a month for the space, and is reportedly seeking a reduction in its rent. 

Summit

Summit officials are investigating under what circumstances the city may be exempt from paying one councilman's legal bills if he is investigated for official misconduct by the Union County Prosecutor's Office. The council voted 5-2 March 1 to officially request the Union County Prosecutor to investigate three-term Councilman Tom Getzendanner for his alleged official misconduct in late 2010. Getzendanner was accused of asking City Solicitor Barry Osmun to alter the dates on his legal bills in order to obtain additional reimbursement for the city. The city hired former Union County Superior Court Judge Edward Beglin to conduct an investigation into these allegations and a report on the judge's Getzendanner did in fact ask the city's attorney to commit insurance fraud. Resident Brett Haire questioned the council Tuesday night as to who would be footing the bills for Getzendanner's defense if the County Prosecutor decides to pursue the case. Osmun explained that city code requires the city to provide defense for any city employee, including an elected official, in legal matters and to pay fines or penalties associated with any judgments or settlements, except when the council decides that person's actions were "actual fraud," "willful misconduct" or "malice."

Westfield

Westfield Board of Education Business Administrator Bob Berman to state corruption charges during a hearing in state court Monday morning. Berman has been charged by the state attorney general with accepting $13,000 in glass windows and doors in exchange for recommending the Metropolitan Metal Window Company as the district’s contractors of record.

Retired Chatham BOE Business Administrator Vincent Yaniro was  as the interim business administrator to replace Berman, who was suspended from his post last week.

The Board of Education updated the public on their budget proposal Tuesday night. The proposal included an announcement that the Westfield Education Association had agreed to  and that the tax increase would be at two-percent. The budget discussion also included two board members proposing that the district  for the district’s capital fund, which currently stands at $896.

Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) has to make the active ingredient in the drug, bath salts, illegal. Bath salts, which are not the bath product, were used by Cranford murder suspect William Parisio in the months before his arrest Monday for the murder of his girlfriend, Pamela Schmidt.

Boy Scouts from around the in Westfield over the weekend for the annual Pinewood Derby. 


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