Edison Democratic mayor candidates share differing views on township's priorities
EDISON – Politics in Edison is always a bit complicated and this year is no exception.
Voters will be choosing from three mayoral candidates in the June 10 Democratic primary in which Mayor Sam Joshi, who is completing his first four-year term in office, is being challenged by Councilman Richard Brescher and small business owner Lav Patel.
Edison has a long history of electing democrats, but the winner in the Democratic primary will face Republican mayoral candidate Gloria Dittman in the November general election.
Joshi has focused his campaign on the things he has gotten done during his first term in office while also promoting this year's unanimous council approval of the budget which will help maintain and upgrade town parks, courts, fitness trails, fields and splash parks, fund upgrades to the water and sewer systems, complete construction on the youth sports complex, rehabilitate the Stelton Community Center, improve the sidewalks and drainage on Amboy Avenue and continue efforts to get rid of blighted properties, according to his Facebook page.
Brescher meanwhile has pointed out that the work on the Stelton Community Center has tripled in cost, flag poles rather than the promised paddle boats are at Oak Tree Pond, there are only new signs and not new playing surfaces at Polansky Park, Edison does not have a ward system or a new high school and Woodbridge Avenue has not been fixed. He said the youth complex was imagined as a $5 million project that now costs more than double, according to his Facebook page.
Patel is committed to having no cannabis in town, safer neighborhoods and lower taxes, according to his Facebook page. Patel also wants to see a dedicated senior citizen center in town, manned police substations in both the northern and southern sections of the town, expanded police patrol coverage and responsible budgeting that invests in public safety.
More: Grocery stores in talks to replace shuttered Stop & Shop in Edison
With the elimination of county lines on the ballot, voters may have difficulty figuring out which council candidates are running together or with a mayoral candidate.
None of the incumbent council members, Margot Harris, Nishith Patel and John Poyner, who ran with Joshi four years ago, are seeking reelection this year.
Joshi is on the Middlesex County Democratic Organization slate with Township Council candidates Kelli Dima, Robert Kentos and Biral Patel.
Campaign signs for Lav Patel, who is listed on the Empower Dems Unity slate, indicate he is running with Township Council candidates Jayesh Mehta, Yingnan "Ingrid" Chen and Anthony DeAmorin, who are all running on the Democrats for All slate, according to the sample ballot.
And while initially Brescher, who is on the Residents First slate, had no Township Council running mates, campaign signs posted around town now also list his name along with Joyce Ship-Freeman, a former councilwoman who is on the Real Experience Counts ticket, and DeAmorin.
DeAmorin said he's honored to get support from both Lav Patel and Brescher and he's fine to have his name on lawn signs for both mayoral candidates. He said both Patel and Brescher's campaigns are focused on the town's safety and affordability.
DeAmorin maintains he's still running with Lav Patel's team but there was also interest in giving him support from Ship-Freeman and Brescher with whom he has a long-standing relationship.
"We're all after the same goal of turning Edison around," DeAmorin said.
The three Democratic Township Council candidates who win in the primary will face Russell Azzarello, Kartik Nath and Samiksha Sharmas in November.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Edison mayor candidates share differing views on township's priorities
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