By JACQUELINE DURETT
Correspondent
EDISON — At the June 22 meeting, a new councilman was selected for the open seat on the Township Council.
Lifelong township resident Joseph Coyle was unanimously (minus absent Councilman Ajay Patil) voted into the seat formerly held by recently appointed Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak, who was also in attendance at the meeting.
Coyle was one of three names submitted by the Edison Democratic Organization for consideration for the open seat; Steve Nagle and Michael Comba were also interviewed. However, Coyle was the first choice, so his name was the first to be voted upon at the meeting. Should the vote not have passed, the council would have moved to the alternates.
Prior to the vote, resident Esther Nemitz said she was supporting Coyle for the role. Nemitz said Coyle has a strong commitment to the Clara Barton neighborhood, Edison and the businesses in the town. Coyle is the executive director of the Edison Chamber of Commerce.
“He has a multiplicity of things that he cares about that matter to Edison’s future,” Nemitz said.
Councilman Alvaro Gomez also had comments on the selection process ahead of the vote. “First and foremost, I want to thank all three candidates and everybody who participated in the process,” he said. “Everybody has shown enormous commitment to Edison.”
Following the selection, Coyle was sworn in, then the new councilman briefly thanked everyone associated with the process, including the rest of the council. “I look forward to serving with you and working hard for the township of Edison,” he said.
Fellow council members congratulated Coyle. Councilman Robert Diehl said this selection was hard won for Coyle.
“Joe exemplifies hard work and perseverance,” he said, adding that Coyle has been considered for the council before, and had been close, but had been unsuccessful. Diehl said in spite of that history, Coyle continued to work hard for the township. “That really says a lot,” Diehl said.
Diehl also thanked Comba, who was in the audience, and Nagel. “We had three really, really good candidates,” Diehl said, adding that about 100 people are part of the process, so only those who are exemplary make it to the top ranks of consideration.
Resident Walter Stochel commended Coyle, saying he’s done a lot for Edison, specifically praising his efforts to organize cleanups in town.
In order to continue to serve on the council beyond the end of this year, Coyle would have to be reelected on Nov. 8. Karabinchak’s council term would have run through Dec. 31, 2018.