EDISON – Come Jan. 1, Edison will have a new mayor and new council members on the dais.
Projected winners of the Nov. 2 election remain as election results were recently certified.
Edison Mayoral Race
In Edison, the four-year term for mayor goes to Democrat Samip “Sam” Joshi, who received 13,084 votes.
Republican Keith Hahn received 10,563 votes.
Christo Makropoulos received 368 votes.
There were 34 write-in votes.
Joshi announced his swearing-in ceremony will be at 11 a.m. on Jan. 1.
“My transition has started and I’m excited about Edison’s future,” he said.
Mayor Thomas Lankey withdrew his name from the ballot, running as an Independent, prior to Election Day.
Edison Township Council
There were elections for three, four-year seats on the municipal governing body for Edison. All were newcomers.
The Democratic slate – Margot Harris, with 13,176 votes, Nishith Patel, with 12,664 votes, and John Poyner, with 12,633 votes – beat the Republican slate – Joe Luistro, with 10,043 votes, Payal Mehta, with 9,780 votes, and R. Tali Epstein, with 9,777 votes.
There were 49 write-in votes.
Before the election, the Democratic candidates discussed what their main focuses would be if elected.
Harris said her priorities as a councilwoman “would be school overcrowding, overdevelopment and taxes.”
Patel said overcrowding of schools would be his main focus as councilman stating he believes “it is the single biggest issue impacting most residents.”
Poyner said the master plan, which sets the guidelines and vision for the township to follow regarding future development, would be his primary focus.
Democratic incumbents Alvaro Gomez, Robert Diehl and Joshi did not seek re-election.