Last month, Michael Puzio, a Republican councilman from Rockaway Township, raised eyebrows in political circles by endorsing Democrat Mikie Sherrill for Congress in the 11th District.

That prompted Ron DeFilippis, the chair of the Morris County Republican Committee, to send out a release saying that Republicans who endorse Democrats should become Democrats.

Puzio hasn’t done that, but he has gotten a job in a Democratic-controlled town.

That would be Parsippany.

Puzio was sworn in last week as a Special Law Enforcement Officer by Parsippany’s Democratic Mayor Michael Soriano. The job involves working in township schools to protect students.

Politics aside, there’s no doubt Puzio is qualified for the job. He recently retired after a 21-year career with the Morris County Sheriff’s Office.

But how about his endorsement of Sherrill? Did that play a role?

Not at all, said Soriano, who said he never met Puzio until last Friday’s swearing in.

Additionally, the mayor said he didn’t even know that Puzio had endorsed Sherrill until he was told about it.

Soriano is obviously politically astute, but he insisted that in the case of Puzio’s hiring, politics wasn’t the issue.

“All I ask of him is that he put everything out there to protect the children of my town,” Soriano said.