Democrats sweep Edison council as White, Lugo, Patel win board of education

By Alvin Wu
Domestic Affairs
Democrats sweep Edison council as White, Lugo, Patel win board of education

Seals of the Edison Township Council and Edison Board of Education. EDISON TOWNSHIP/Logo

EDISON, N.J., Nov. 8 (ZFJ) — The Democrats won the four available seats on the Edison Township Council while Virginia White, Christopher Lugo, and Anjana R. Patel secured three spots on the Edison Board of Education, according to unofficial results from the Middlesex County Clerk for the Nov. 7 general election.

Richard Brescher, Joseph A. Coyle, and Ajay V. Patil won reelection to the town council along with newcomer Asaf Shmuel. They each secured between three to four thousand more votes than their Republican opponents: Paul Bravo, Gerald Shine, Thomas W. Comollo, and Russell J. Azzarello.

Incumbent council member Joyce Ship-Freeman lost her reelection bid as an independent, coming in last place.

Virginia White, a BOE member since 2020, won her reelection to the board of education along with newcomers Christopher Lugo and Anjana R. Patel.

Jingwei “Jerry” Shi, a BOE member since 2014 and prior board president, lost his reelection bid. Anthony Dima and Bijal Parikh were also defeated.

Council members serve four year terms, while BOE members serve three year terms.

Mayor Sam Joshi endorsed the Democrats (Column A) for town council and Edison Excellence (Column 1) for the BOE.

Voter turnout for Edison ranged from 8.91% in District 28 to 32.64% in District 34. The mean is 21.15%, and the standard deviation is 4.63%.

All results are unofficial until certified by the Middlesex County Board of Canvassers on or before Nov. 22, 2023.

EDISON TOWNSHIP COUNCIL UNOFFICIAL RESULTS https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Middlesex/119048/web.317647/#/detail/0050

  1. Richard Brescher - Democrat - 8,011 votes (16.28%)
  2. Joseph A. Coyle - Democrat - 7,719 votes (15.68%)
  3. Ajay V. Patil - Democrat - 7,607 votes (15.46%)
  4. Asaf Shmuel - Democrat - 7,215 votes (14.66%)
  5. Paul Bravo - Republican - 4,330 votes (8.80%)
  6. Gerald Shine - Republican - 4,240 votes (8.61%)
  7. Thomas W. Comollo - Republican - 4,088 votes (8.31%)
  8. Russell J. Azzarello - Republican - 4,082 votes (8.29%)
  9. Joyce Ship-Freeman - Independent - 1,617 votes (3.29%)
  10. Write-In - 310 votes (0.63%)

A total of 49,219 votes were cast.

EDISON BOARD OF EDUCATION UNOFFICIAL RESULTS https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Middlesex/119048/web.317647/#/detail/0056

  1. Virginia White - Edison Excellence - 6,211 votes (17.83%)
  2. Christopher Lugo - Students First - 5,902 votes (16.94%)
  3. Anjana R. Patel - Students First - 5,860 votes (16.82%)
  4. Jingwei “Jerry” Shi - Students First - 5,668 votes (16.27%)
  5. Anthony Dima - Edison Excellence - 5,526 votes (15.86%)
  6. Bijal Parikh - Edison Excellence - 5,485 votes (15.75%)
  7. Write-In - 181 votes (0.52%)

A total of 34,833 votes were cast.

References