Edison’s Mayor-elect Antonia Ricigliano recently announced the names of the 10 individuals who will act as the chairpersons for her 22-member transition team.
Antonia Ricigliano Among the more familiar names on the list: former Edison Township Council member Bill Stephens (finance chairperson), retired Deputy Fire Chief Ralph Ambrosio (fire department), former Business Administrator Lawrence Pollex (administration), and David Campion, who is currently the county director of public works (public works).
“I am proud that this team is a blend of people with institutional memory and people who will offer a fresh perspective on each aspect of local government,” said Ricigliano, who defeated Republican Dennis Pipala in the general election last month.
Also among the familiar faces is Ricigliano’s campaign manager, Anthony Russomanno, a coordinator on the transition team. He says his role will be to “oversee things and make sure that everything is going smoothly” leading up to the start of the
new mayor’s term.
“I feel like I’m pretty good when it comes to issues concerning planning and zoning, and I’ve also learned plenty about many of the other departments recently,” Russomanno said. “I really feel like she picked a great group of people to be on her team. We’re working to try and get interlocal agreements going once the new year comes around.”
The chairman of the transition team is Carl Palmisano, who also happens to be Ricigliano’s brother. He’s a retired attorney who will also review the township’s legal services, existing and potential litigation, and contracts.
“The transition team’s mission is to review Edison’s finances and services. I am confident this team will help my administration identify ways to streamline government and save tax money,” Ricigliano said.
She also mentioned that the members of the team are volunteers.
“My primary goal is to relieve some of the financial burden on Edison property owners,” Ricigliano said.
Also on the team to review legal matters is Louis Rainone, a former township law director who was at odds with Ricigliano for many years.
“We fought with him for years, but politics is what it is,” Russomanno said. “Lou Rainone knows the town inside and out, and he has been involved with a few administrations. Overall, I think it’s a very good move. He’s very knowledgeable and he knows what he’s doing.”
The other chairpersons on the team are: Guy Gaspari, a former Edison planner who is now an assistant public works director in Piscataway (engineering); Dr. William Oser, vice president for medical affairs at JFK Medical Center (health services); Dorothy White, a retired English and social studies teacher from the township’s school district (libraries); James Muldowney, a health education supervisor at J.P. Stevens High School (parks and recreation); and George Bandics, a retired deputy chief of detectives at the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office (police department).