EDISON – Eight candidates – four Democrats and four Republicans – are vying for the four, four-year Township Council seats available during the general election on Nov. 5.
Incumbents Joseph A. Coyle and Ajay Patil, who are seeking their second terms, are joined by newcomers Richard Brescher and Joyce Ship-Freeman on the Democratic side. They will face the Republican slate, which includes former Councilman Wayne J. Mascola and newcomers Cathleen Lynch-Kilic, Gerald T. Shine and Maria Orchid.
Richard Brescher, 56, who is a 46-year resident of the township, is seeking his first term. He is married with two adult children and two grandchildren. He attended Stockton State College and is employed as a licensed safety officer and general contractor in New York City. He currently serves on the Edison Board of Education.
Brescher said, if elected, he would like to help the township formulate a long- and short-term facilities and maintenance plan to maintain infrastructure such as sewers and buildings at a level the public requires.
“The budgeting needs to be in place ,spread out over a 10-year period to stop any spikes in our taxes,” he said. “I would also like to see the town’s services run in house at a lower cost than using outside vendors. Another idea is to analyze and look at nonresidential properties that are undertaxed and bring their ratable up to market levels and use those funds to build a community center at no cost to the taxpayers.”
Brescher said he would also like to work with the administration on the township’s master plan for development and give the planning and zoning boards the tools they need to curb overdevelopment of residential properties.
The overdevelopment has resulted in keeping “property values down – supply and demand – [and] it has also created overcrowding in our schools that has caused some of the tax increases,” he said.
In the community, Brescher is working on the overcrowding in the schools as a school board member.
Joseph Coyle, 50, a lifelong resident of Edison, is seeking his second term on the council. He has one son and one grandson. He attended Middlesex County College and serves as president of the Edison Chamber of Commerce.
In the community, Coyle is the founder of a Neighborhood Preservation program, which engages in projects to improve homes and living conditions for Edison’s senior citizens, beautification projects in Clara Barton and supports small business communities. He also is a former emergency medical technician with the volunteer Edison First Aid and Rescue Squad 1.
During his time on the dais, Coyle has introduced ordinances that target quality of life issues, including a comprehensive parks ordinance, and he has helped attract businesses that he said do not disrupt the neighborhood.
He also believes multi-unit apartment complexes, such as the 220-units on Jackson Avenue, congest roads, create unsafe environments, and cause overcrowded schools.
If re-elected, Coyle said he will continue to work on quality of life issues, continue touring parks and walk neighborhoods, and continue identifying issues such as graffiti, potholes and safety hazards. He said he will also work on attracting new businesses, making sure they conform with the nature of the neighborhood and create a true economic development program, creating jobs for Edison residents.
Cathleen Lynch-Kilic, 56, who has lived in the township for nearly 30 years, is seeking her first term. She and her husband have two adult children,who are Edison High School graduates.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in business management from West Virginia University and multiple certifications. She is employed as director of human resources for a healthcare system.
In the community, she has served as a Republican committee member for District 14 and was involved in the efforts against the proposed 40-year Suez water and sewer deal.
Lynch-Kilic said she continues to see the Edison community transform into an overdeveloped, overcrowded township with less regard for the resident’s quality of life that live here.
“I want to make a difference and bring transparency and accountability to our residents for the decisions that are made on behalf of this community,” she said. “Affordability is very important, and I want our seniors and families to have the ability to continue to reside here.”
Lynch-Kilic further said there “must be smart economic development to control the overcrowding of our schools and reduce the traffic grid lock on our roads.”
“I have sat on other boards and committees and know how to get things done when you come in with the attitude knowing there is nothing we can’t resolve if we work together,” she said.
If elected, Lynch-Kilic said she would like to focus on overdevelopment, which relates to all the issues in the community.
“I want to work collaboratively with the all the other elected officials and the residents to ensure that due diligence for each project has occurred and our community has easy access to information in the planning stages before projects are started and public opinions can occur,” she said.
Wayne J. Mascola, 64, who has lived in the township for 38 years, is seeking his third term. He previously served on the council from 2008-15. He and his wife have four adult children and six grandchildren.
He earned a degree in computer science from Middlesex County College and is employed as an IT director.
In the community, he has served as the former president of St. Matthew’s Roman Catholic Church Fathers’ Club, former president of parent teacher organization St. Matthew’s H.S.A, former Grand Knight of Knights of Columbus Council 4885, and former coach for Edison Boys Baseball.
“The reason I am running for a council seat is to listen to the needs of the people of Edison and be their voice,” he said. “For too long they have been neglected. The Suez deal is a perfect example. The administration was going to make a deal that would have affected the pockets of Edison residents. When everyone pays attention and comes together it is amazing what can happen. A special election was held, and the voice of the residents was heard.”
Mascola said Town Hall positions shouldn’t be filled by outside companies.
“Positions should be filled by qualified employees not because of who they know or by political appointment,” he said. “The Edison residents deserve better than this. Edison politics needs to be more transparent and the residents of Edison should be assured that their tax money is being put to good use.”
Mascola said taxes in Edison will make it difficult for he and his wife to live in the town into their golden years. If re-elected, he said would like to explore alternative ways to help seniors stay in the township.
“Taxes have been raised consecutively for the last six years and will continue to be raised,” he said. “Overdevelopment is another issue, the overcrowding, and additional traffic all hours of the day and night is a real problem.”
Maria Orchid, 52, who has lived in the township for 19 years, is seeking her first term on the council. She is married with four children, ages ranging from 15 to 27.
She is a senior payroll specialist working with small to medium size business for the last 14 years.
In the community, Orchid serves as a committee person, is a Middlesex Greenway volunteer, vice president of the Clara Barton Neighborhood Preservation Committee, started the Clara Barton Neighborhood Block Watch, and was appointed to the Edison Sustainable Jersey Green Team.
Orchid said she is running for a seat to make a difference in the community with the quality of life issues including affordable housing, access to parks, community activities, good jobs, safety and to lower the crime rate.
If elected, Orchid said she would like to streamline the township’s permit and license process and to start a small business initiative to attract more businesses to Edison; work with the Board of Education on the schools’ overcrowding problem; and be transparent to all Edison residents and make all township operations available.
Ajay Patil, 49, who has lived in the township for more than 15 years, is married with two children who attend Edison public schools. He is seeking his second term. He formerly served as council president and is currently serving as council vice president. He is employed in the information technology sector. He has a master’s degree in technology, industrial engineering and management.
In the community, Patil serves as co-chair of the Edison Public School Overcrowding Task Force, has organized Thanksgiving turkey distributions in partnership with the Edison Housing Authority, and organized programs for teens and adults with special needs through the Lions Club of Edison.
Patil said he is running for re-election to continue an agenda of transparency and accountability in local government. He said he believes the township must regulate developers who build multi-unit residential properties, solve the overcrowding crisis, clean up parks, and reinvest in the township’s infrastructure.
As councilman, Patil said he introduced an ordinance holding big banks accountable for abandoned properties. He also introduced a pay-to-play ordinance to stop special interests from buying elections. Along with Coyle, Patil voted against a proposed tax increase, citing systemic fraud, waste and abuse in the budget.
Patil said he would also like to implement an E-Governance program that identifies wasteful spending and increases transparency for residents.
Gerald Shine, 49, who is a lifelong resident of the township, is seeking his first term. He is married and has an adult step-daughter.
He is a graduate of Edison High School and Middlesex County College. He is employed at Sid Harvey’s in sales and service.
In the community, he said he was a leader in the fight against Suez, helping get nearly 5,000 signatures for the petition and working tireless hours and winning the special election on Sept. 10 to keep the maintenance of the water and sewer system in the township. He said he attends many council, Board of Education and Planning Board meetings.
“The lack of communication between the elected boards is hurting the Edison residents with overcrowding in our schools and over development and traffic throughout Edison,” he said.
Shine said accountability and transparency are major problems in Edison.
“I believe all issues of town planning, building (and more) should be presented to the public at all meetings,” he said. “The days of last-minute wheeling and dealing must end. The Edison residents should be first and foremost, not corporations looking for free deals at the expense of Edison taxpayers.”
Joyce Ship-Freeman, 64, who has lived in the township for more than 42 years, is seeking her first term. She is married and has one child.
She is a retired educator and a local New Jersey Education Association representative on the policy committee. She earned a bachelor’s degree from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree from Kean University.
In the community, Ship-Freeman currently serves on the Edison Public Library Board of Trustees, is a treasurer and fundraising chairperson for the Edison YMCA, and serves as president emeritus for the Perth Amboy Association of School Employees.
Ship-Freeman said she is running to increase access to government services for residents and to cut wasteful spending on vendors and special interest groups.
As a trustee for the libraries, she has worked on expanding the hours of operation for the Clara Barton library and identified tens of thousands of dollars of wasteful spending in the libraries through a performance audit.
As an experienced educator, Ship-Freeman said she believes it is imperative for the township to work with the Board of Education to solve the school overcrowding crisis. She said she also understands the importance of offering parents full-day kindergarten.
Collectively, Coyle, Patil, Brescher and Ship-Freeman said they, along with the public, helped stop the proposed 40-year Suez water and sewer deal from coming to fruition.
Polls will be open form 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 5.