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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
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@ Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Edison mayor candidates share differing views on township's priorities
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge rules Edison candidates will not be removed from ballot
All the candidates running for mayor and township council in Edison will appear on the primary ballot, according to a Middlesex County Superior Court judge's ruling. Superior Court Judge Michael Toto denied a motion Friday by Praful Vaid, Keeran Vaid, Bimal Joshi, Ratilal Patel and Chaitanya Wattamar to prevent the Edison Township and Middlesex County clerks from drawing ballot positions in the Democratic primary. The judge also rejected their request to prevent the printing of ballots including mayoral candidates Lav Patel and Anjana Patel, and council candidates Jayesh Mehta, Ingrid Chen and Anthony DeAmorin. Toto also denied their request to strike those names from the ballot. The judge also rejected their request to be awarded court and attorney fees. More: 'First-of-its-kind' indoor entertainment center coming to Edison. Here's what we know Toto's ruling paves the way for a three-way race in the Democratic mayoral primary. Mayor Sam Joshi, who is seeking his second term, will be challenged by Councilman Richard Brescher and Lav Patel. Anjana Patel withdrew her mayoral candidacy on April 3, according to the ruling. Republican candidate Gloria Dittman will face the winner in November's general election. No incumbents are running for three council seats being contested this year. Voters will choose from seven candidates in the Democratic primary: Biral Patel, Kelli Dima, Robert Kentos, Yingnan Ingrid Chen, Jayesh Mehta, Anthony DeAmorin and Joyce Ship-Freeman, who formerly served on the council. The winners will face Republicans Russell J. Azzarello, Kartik Nath and Samiksha Sharmas in November. The Edison primary ballot drawing was scheduled to take place April 14. According to the judge's ruling, on March 21 Anjana Patel filed petitions to run for the mayor in the primary, and on March 24 Lav Patel also filed petitions to run. Mehta, Chen and DeAmorin filed petitions to run for council that same day. Lav Patel signed Anjana Patel's nominating petition and served as a circulator for her petitions, according to the ruling. Three days later on March 27, Bimal Joshi filed an objection to those nominating petitions and alleged irregularities such as fraud, misrepresentation and improper coordination. The objection also alleged voters were presented with false petitions and were misled regarding whose petition they were endorsing or what office the candidate they were endorsing was running for. Edison Township Clerk Cheryl Russomanno on March 31 denied the objection and referred the matter to the courts. "(The objectors) have not proven fraud or misrepresentation by the defendants in obtaining signatures for their petitions by clear and convincing evidence and have not met their burden," Toto wrote in his decision, adding witness testimony demonstrated some technical violations such as not including the nomination by petition for primary election page. However, the "underlying purpose" of the petitions was obtained, he wrote. Email: srussell@ Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today This article originally appeared on NJ judge rules Edison candidates will not be removed from ballot
