Well, saw this piece here in the NJ Globe.
Makes you proud to live in Edison, doesn't it!?!
Anyhoo, maybe someday we'll get passed the 'he said..he said' and finally understand what happened here with this 2017 Racist flyer - but in this one-party town, I'm not holding my breath.
Well, just saw the K-12 State School Aid numbers on the NJDoE site for FY 2022.
Edison has $35,839,368, up $11,486,832 or 47.17% over last year's $24,352,536.
Here's Middlesex County by District:
And here's the Top 25 Districts with the largest increase over FY 21:
Anyhoo, let's see how well they $pend this money over there on Mythomania Lane.
Well, first let me say, Congratulations to the winners even though I may disagree with these choices.
As I'm told the results were as follows:
For Mayor:
For Council (3 winners):
From what I understand there was a good turnout with some 144 of the 156 committee people turning out to vote.
Democracy in action where 144 people in a town of over 100,000 pick who should be in charge of our Muni Government.
Be that as it may, good to see they they chose (for me) the least palatable of the three candidates for Mayor. Clearly, for a whole host of reasons on several different levels, Brescher certainly would of been a better choice than Bhagia and, let's not make a mistake and go with a better candidate in an intelligent and talented Woman in Shah.
On the Council side, good luck with this bunch - not a big fan of Board of Ed-Dems people coming over to the Muni-side of town and wouldn't vote for any of these people, in the only election that counts, except for Angelet.
So, let's hope there are a bunch of other tickets to challenge these candidates in both the primary and general elections - as long as none of them include any ticket with Sam 'the Weathervane Millennial' Joshi, aka Big-boy pants attached to it. Got to love how he dropped out of the screening for Council at the last minute. Guess he saw the handwriting on the wall - let's hope he keeps reading and goes into political retirement in the town.
Anyhoo, it is what it is here in this political chaos and dysfunction we call 'Downtown Edison.'
Well, watched this press conference from the Board of Ed-Dems offices over there on Mythomania Lane at the cross-roads of Politically Corrupted and Dysfunctional streets.
Seriously, this is about as useful as watching Jerry 'ReferenDumb' Shi run a Board of Ed meeting.
Hard to believe the pandering going on here by the Board of ED-Dems. What's the point of all this pandering? Like it's going to get us to the front of the vaccine list??
Whenever you see Joe Coyle you know he's running for something. Hard to believe there's Dumb and now there's Dumb-er in this circus of a town.
Well, sadly saw this shocking news here in Insider NJ about Pete - a Good Man and a Good Friend going way back. His congenial friendship will be missed.
Condolences to his family and friends.
RIP Buddy...
It's a sad time in Edison.
Well, this Pandemic is wreaking havoc on everyone and everything and it's not about to go away anytime soon. It's been a year now since we've been living with these lockdowns, masks, hand-washing, social distancing, the conflicting politicization and the search for the vaccine shot.
So, what about the Kids with this on and off in-person and remote schedule with no apparent logic or timetable and when are we going to get them Back in the Classroom?
Seems to me that there's a bunch of reasons why we don't seem to have a cogent, logical and effective short-term and long-term plan to get back in the classrooms. Let's be honest, there's no way that this virus won't be around for the rest of this calendar year and we need to have a plan that gets the Kids back in the Classroom as soon as we can.
So, here's what I see as the issues preventing us from getting the Kids back in the Classroom:
The inept leadership of Jerry 'Referen-Dumb' Shi, aka Mr. Shi-shed who spends more time with politicizing the Board of Ed with his Dem-party friends and getting his majority so he can continue being the Biggest Detriment to the 2021 School Year. In my opinion, a track record that has zero credibility and lacks any trustworthiness.
The rest of the Board needs to Step-up and not allow him to rule just because he has 5 votes. Like the twice defeated School Bond Referendum, this stuff is too important to leave in his hands alone.
The giant elephant in the room - Overcrowding. Mr. Shi-shed wasted two years and failed to properly address the problem. Seems his failure just seriously exacerbates the Pandemic solution and they ignore it as if it weren't a problem.
The lack of communication with all the stakeholders. Seems Dr. Bragen has a plan, the Board has a plan, the Unions have a plan, the Parents have a plan yet nobody seems to be working with each other to come up with a plan that works for everybody.
Getting the vaccine shot now seems to be a political weapon. Do the teachers return only if they get vaccinated or not. Let's not make that a reason for a stalemate. Have the conversation with all the stakeholders and come up with a plan.
CDC guidelines can be followed with a little effort and money so don't think it should be used as for or against getting the Kids back in the Classroom. Safety is always a priority and we can properly address it if everyone comes together.
The shortage of staff being unfairly labeled as the reason we can't get the Kids back in the Classroom. Don't buy into that since you first need a plan to determine what the needs are.
Everybody has got to Stop trying to cover their own rear-ends and Start listening to each other if we really want to find a solution to this problem.
Take some of that Bloated & Wasted Budget money and Start $pending it on the things required that gets us in the Best position possible by the end of this calendar year.
As long as we allow them to fight with each other, ignore the real issues, look to lay blame elsewhere, get the parents all worked-up, have the unions fight with the administration about where the blame lays for where we are today - nothing will get solved and these Kids will not see the inside of a Classroom in 2022 either.
You know, my good friend Emil 'Do the Right Thing' Ferlicchi use to say it's all about the Kids. So, at tonight's meeting - let's make it about the Kids and Not about the Adults in the Room.
Anyhoo, there's a way to get us where we need to be but it takes everyone working together to come up with both a short and long term plan, respecting each others issues and concerns. Let's hope they recognize it.
We, this is a bit bizarre of Mahesh Bhagia.
Well, as mentioned in a previous post, the EDO is also having their screening for Mayor on February 24, 2021 and also allowed the candidates to make a 3-minute video for its 156 members before the vote. These are also available to the public on the EDO's You Tube station.
Now, with all that's going on with the EDO, it's change in leadership, the 'Committee of the Hole' still searching for themselves and the incumbent Mayor and two incumbent Council Members not seeking the Local Dem-party line - you have to recognize that the real race for Mayor won't be until the General Election. That's where you see all the other serious candidates jumping in and the real attempt at grabbing the leadership of Edison for the next 4-years.
So, while there were originally 4 candidates seeking the the Mayor nod, only 3 are left. Seems Sam 'the Weathervane Millennial' aka Big-boy pants has decided to screen to keep his Council seat. Geez, hard to believe Mr. Joshi thinks he's ready or capable to be Mayor in this town. Not for nothing but this self-serving political promoter has got to go and I already asked my District 31 Committee people to Not waste a vote on Mr. Joshi for Council in a previous post about the Council candidates.
Be that as it may, there are 3 candidates screening for Mayor.
Given the state of the EDO and all the continuous internal power struggles and dissension in the ranks, there's no way the newly elected Chairman Bhagia should immediately turn around and run for Mayor. Seems he should be fixing the problems with the local party first before he tries to move on.
Just don't think that he would be a wise choice for the Committee people at this time and would ask my District 31 Committee people to Not Vote for Mr. Bhagia.
Sapana Shah - always thought very highly of her and still do. She's super intelligent, charismatic, an excellent listener and communicator, tough when she needs to be yet always fair and has a great knowledge of what is happening on both sides of town and what needs to be done to make it better place for all the residents and taxpayers. And geez, how often do we get somebody that qualified who is also a woman to boot? Not very often here in 'DemBadLands' of Downtown Edison.
Having said that in all sincerity, don't understand (not that it should be important or of any consequence to her) why she's taking this route and involving herself in the political mess going on within the Local Dem-Party these days.
Clearly, she possesses all the qualities you need for higher office in this State. Back when the last 18th District State Assembly seat opened up and of the three looking for it (Bob 'SeeNo Conflict' Diehl, Rob 'Mr. Temper-a-Ment' Karabinchak and Sapana Shah) she was, by far, the Best Choice but the Dem-Party (in their infinite wisdom) gave to Karabinchak. She got dissed by the Democratic Party.
So, don't know why she would want to drag herself back into the local muck and mire by trying to get the EDO nod. Clearly, it's the only party in town with all the money and willing to finance elections, but she's better than that to be chasing that illusive pot of gold at the end of the dysfunctional Dem-Party rainbow.
Until the EDO gets its act together and starts backing the most qualified candidates for all offices, she should seek an alternate route if she wants to be Mayor. Wouldn't have a problem if she got the nod for Mayor here but, given the state of political chaos in this town, really don't want to see her get Dissed again.
Richard Brescher - clearly, a change to what Lankey and his loyal Processing Clerks on the Council are use to. Speaks up and out and really has a sincere interest in change - something sorely needed in this town.
Not afraid to try and create alliances and not afraid to fight alliances that he believes are against what is best for the town. Who wouldn't like transparency for a change?
Can he be Mayor? Sure, why not. Would like to see him in the debates in the General Election against Mayor Lankey, Hahn and any other candidates that pop up along the way.
Here's Brescher's speech:
Well, saw this on the Division of Community Affairs website as of 2/4/21:
Here's Edison's Summary:
Here's Middlesex County:
Here's the Top 25 in the State:
This is what you get when you assess a progressive tax on a non-cash asset.
Anyhoo, read it and weep.
Well, the EDO is having their screening for Council on February 24, 2021 and given the Pandemic is allowing each candidate to make a 3-minute video for it's 156 members before the vote. They have also made it available to the public on their You Tube station.
That's good, since if you're a Democrat like me, you should want to see what each of the candidates are offering and decide for yourself who you think would be best and convey those thoughts and comments to your District Committee people before they vote on February 24, 2021.
Now clearly, if you read this blog - you'll know that I'm not a fan of the EDO and have long considered it the Party that Made Edison Safe for Hypocrisy, has turned the Perils of one-party government into an everyday reality, picks candidates based on who the powers that be want to be chosen, generates self-serving and on-going internal power struggles within it's ranks none of which is for the residents benefits, has infiltrated the Board of Ed, aka Board of Ed-Dems, Board of Mythomania and Board of Dysfunction with their chosen candidates, and continues to allow the disgraceful 'Committee of the Hole' to now waste 3-years in search of themselves and considering the overall lack of transparency for what goes on over there at 100 Oligarchy Blvd - this Party has long forgotten that it once believed in People Not Politics.
For me, given the status of the Local Democratic Party, it has now become the Poster-child for Wards.
So, it's no surprise that I don't place much stock in this process where candidates are chosen not by who may be the best but by how many votes you can get from 156 people.
My only point for writing this post is to make sure you're aware that the EDO is now in the process of picking candidates for the June primary and if you're a Democrat in this town, then you might want to pay attention and and reach out to your Committee people and tell them who you think they should vote for.
As I understand it, there are 5 Council candidates screening - Sheila Angelet, Samip Joshi, Tom McCann, Sparshil Patel and Shannon Peng. Seems Yash Pandya has dropped out the race and Samip Joshi hasn't submitted a video or hasn't submitted it on time (if any of this is incorrect, please let me know and I will correct).
Be that as it may, with Bob 'See No Conflict' Diehl and Alvaro Gomez not screening for the party line, that only leaves Sam 'the Weathervane Millennial', aka Big-boy pants as the sole incumbent screening.
Do yourself a favor and tell your Committee people to pass on him. It's time for him to be retired from Edison Politics.
As for Shannon Peng and Sparshil Patel, you really don't want reverse infiltration from the Board of Ed side of town.
Don't know Tom McCann so don't have anything to say about him other than he popped up out of no where and that's something you should consider.
Finally, the only person I would vote for in this round would be Sheila Angelet.
Now, if you paid attention to Edison politics over the years - then you'd know that she has been an outspoken critic of the internal workings of the EDO and it's resulting policies and local governance for many years and has been passed over by the powers that be because she spoke too much truth to power in the party.
Clearly, she has the knowledge and assertiveness to make the party what it was all about once before - for the People of Edison. On top of that she is the Best candidate in this bunch and the Best candidate happens to be a woman to boot.
If the party has any hope of change for the future, they need to start with her.
Here's the 4 Council candidates 3-minute speeches:
Sheila Angelet:
Well, saw this piece below in Insider NJ today. Seems Sam 'the Weathervane Millennial' aka Big-boy pants has withdrawn from the EDO's screening for Mayor of Edison on Wednesday 24, 2021.
Brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it? Duh!
You remember him, he tried to screen for both Mayor and Council in the same screening this time around, but apparently, he didn't know that you can't do that and will just screen for Council.
Here's a chance for the Committee members to send this Rebel without a cause packing by taking a pass on him for any office.
Be that as it may, looks like from his comments in the piece, his EDISPAM campaign doesn't like this year's version of the screening process. From what I understand, he does have a point about the process - it is somewhat of a curious process and all the candidates should review it and make sure they understand it but it's also possible that he couldn't get enough committee people to support him.
But have no fear, Joshi could always show up in the general election and I leave you with Joshi's quote - 'The committee people of our organization and residents deserve much better.'
You think?!?
For once, I agree with Mr. Joshi - the People of Edison do deserve much better than we've been getting from the Local Democratic Party and their hand-picked candidates and that includes Joshi.
So, take his advice and recognize that you deserve better representation than Joshi.
Anyhoo, at least we're comforted in the knowledge that 'Bullet voting' for Council is now acceptable in the screening process.
