EDISON – Edison’s longest serving council member is stepping away from the dais after 20 years.
Family, friends, and colleagues – current and former – recognized Robert Diehl for his service with a plaque and proclamation at the last Township Council meeting of the year on Dec. 22.
Diehl, who decided not to run for re-election in November, said he may be saying goodbye from the dais, but he intends to help Mayor-elect Sam Joshi and the council move Joshi’s vision forward of making the township “the best place in the entire state.”
He thanked his family, especially his wife Anne, who was in the audience. He quipped his wife is still with him after 44 years.
“When you talk about support, that’s support,” Diehl said, also mentioning his children and four grandchildren. “I couldn’t have done this without family support because folks, there’s a lot of meetings. I counted 1,000 or better over the years.”
Diehl moved to Edison in 1986 with his wife and they decided to raise their family in the township. His passion for education led him to begin his teaching career more than 25 years ago at Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains. He spent the last 22 years of his career in South Plainfield.
He first became an Edison committeeman representing his neighborhood and thereafter was elected to the council on Nov. 6, 2001. He has since been elected five consecutive terms, served as council president seven times – including this year – and as vice president three times.
During his tenure, Diehl has been an advocate for the environment, serving as liaison to the Open Space Committee, Environmental Commission and New Jersey Dismal Swamp Preservation.
He has also served as commissioner of the Middlesex County Utilities Authority since 2016.
The councilman recognized the 20 or so different council members he served with, the different mayors he served under, the departments and employees. He also recognized the residents, those who supported him and those wgi didn’t.
The meeting was also the last council meeting for Alvaro Gomez. Gomez, who did not seek re-election in November, served 11 years on the dais.
Diehl said Gomez brought a lot to the council, especially in the area of finance with his “reasonable, rational and measured voice.”
“It has certainly been my honor and my privilege to be here with all of you,” Gomez said. “I am proud of what we committed and set out to do and accomplish together.”
Gomez said he plans to stay involved and continue to help Edison move forward.
As Diehl and Gomez move on from public office, Joshi is shifting roles. In November, Joshi was elected to become the next mayor. He will take the oath of office New Year’s Day at John P. Stevens High School.
Joshi will become the first Indian American and youngest in the role when he takes office at age 32.
Joshi said as he reflected on his years as a council member, it would not have been possible without “the constant mentoring” of his fellow council colleagues, former and present.
He told the audience he started his political career relatively early. He was just 14 years old when he volunteered as an Edison Youth Service Corps member.
“I have grown as a person,” Joshi said. “I’ve grown to learn a lot about how we can best approach different scenarios and a lot of this comes from the experience that everyone has on the dais. I can’t express enough sometimes how hard it is to make these types of decisions behind the scenes. Often imes when you are a council member or elected official, people don’t know the full story or full amount of work that goes into certain decision making. But I have always tried to do my best in terms of what is right by the town followed by the guidance of my fellow council colleagues.”
Joshi said he looks forward to the next four years.
“I am extremely happy and thankful for Edison Township for giving me the opportunity,” he said.
People who attended the meeting were able to enjoy cake and desserts courtesy of resident Carl Zimmerman.
The Democratic slate of candidates in the November election, Margot Harris, Nishith Patel and John Poyner, will be sworn in to their council member seats during the Jan. 1 reorganization meeting.
Contact Kathy Chang at [email protected].