Meet Parsippany Council Candidate Diya Patel

PARSIPPANY, NJ — With Election Day approaching, Patch is putting together a series of candidate profiles so readers can learn more about who’s on their ballot.

Diya Patel is a student at Pace Law School who is throwing her hat in the ring for a seat on the Parsippany Council.

Parsippany Patch asked candidates to share some information about themselves, and asked identical questions to all candidates.

See Patel's responses below:

• Full name: Diya Patel
• Age: 23
• Town of residence: Parsippany, NJ
• Position sought: Parsippany Township Council
• Party affiliation: Democrat
• Family: N/A
• Education: Bachelor of Science from University of Scranton (Political Science
• and Criminal Justice), currently JD candidate at Pace Law School
• Occupation: Law Student
• Previous or current elected/appointed office (if applicable): N/A

1. Why are you running for this position?

Being Parsippany born and raised, I moved back to town after college with hopes of settling down and living here in town. Only to be struck with the reality that the rent prices, property taxes, and other township costs were too high for me to afford. Parsippany was once a place young families could settle down and senior citizens retire comfortably, but that is no longer the reality. Parsippany is being monopolized by the small, wealthy, well-connected portion of the population, and it is hurting our everyday citizens. I want to provide our citizens, my neighbors, friends, and family with representation that reflects them, their priorities, and values.

2. What do you believe to be the most pressing issue in the community, and what do you intend to do about it if elected?

PILOTs and their destruction of our town. Our current administration wants our citizens to believe that, in order to survive, we must continue to pay the yearly increased municipal tax while we give our free corporate tax breaks to the mayor's biggest donors. This is false. PILOTs are not necessary to attract business to Parsippany. Our town sits at the crossroads of 7 major roadways, you must drive through our town to get to some of our smaller neighbors. This makes us perfectly positioned to develop without having to give out free corporate tax breaks.

3. What qualifications and qualities do you possess that make you best suited for the position?

I have worked in public service since high school and am passionate about serving the people of our town. In high school, I began working on Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill’s first congressional campaign in 2018. Then, in college, I worked for the Mayor of Scranton, Paige Cognetti, providing residents of the city with information and resources during the COVID-19 crisis. Now as a law student, I have worked for a judge in the court system and the Bronx District Attorney. These experiences have provided me with the experience needed to provide our residents with true, honest representation. Furthermore, my legal education provides me with the education necessary to understand and implement municipal ordinances, programs, and projects.

4. Overdevelopment has been a growing concern throughout NJ. How do you intend to address it in your community?

Overdevelopment is a growing concern for us here in Parsippany. My personal opinion is that our current administration has not thoughtfully or meaningfully developed our town. We have seen more residential development and reduced commercial development here in Parsippany. This increase in residential development has increased our long-term residents but has created a burden on our schools, roads, and emergency services. It is time to shift Parsippany’s development priorities from residential to commercial. Given that our town has met its affordable housing requirements for the next decade, now is the time for our town to thoughtfully create some walkable downtown areas with small businesses that are meant to attract short-term taxpayers and not long-term residents.

5. If you are running against an incumbent, where do you believe they’re lacking in serving the community? If you are an incumbent, what areas, if any, do you think you could improve upon in terms of public service?

Our current administration serves corporate interests not the community. We have seen this in the ways in which Mayor Barberio has flip-flopped on his stance of PILOTs. In 2020, he publicly stated his vehement opposition for 600 proposed units only to go on to approve at least double that during his term. Councilman Neglia in June 2025 told voters that our school would not see students from these developments for at least six years, only for our town to see 6 new students from one of the developments begin school this September (2025). Our current administration has no issue prioritizing their corporate donors over the citizens who elected them. My number 1 priority has been and always will be our citizens.

6. In a few words, what is your favorite thing about your community?

Diversity. Our town is beyond diverse, which is what makes Parsippany so vibrant, beautiful, and welcoming. This town is a place where diversity has been celebrated in different forms, from high school culture clubs to various holiday celebrations around town. Our community is only stronger because of our diversity, and that is my favorite thing about our town.

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Election Day is Nov. 4.

If you are running in the Parsippany Council race and did not receive a candidate profile request email, please reach out to jack.slocum@patch.com.