MAYOR THOMAS LANKEY

2018 STATE OF THE TOWNSHIP ADDRESS

EDISON TOWNSHIP, NJ

Good evening. Welcome to the 27th Annual State of Edison Township.

It is my privilege and pleasure as Mayor of Edison to continue our tradition of giving our
residents and business leaders an in-depth look at the status of Edison Township and look
ahead at our community’s future.
I want to thank the Edison Chamber of Commerce for organizing this event and thank the
many sponsors who made tonight possible.
Allow me to thank the business owners and community leaders, municipal employees and
residents here tonight, and the TV viewers at home. Your continuing interest and participation
are important to Edison Township’s success.
I would like to acknowledge some special guests in our audience:
State Sen. Patrick Diegnan
Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak
Assemblywoman Nancy Pinkin
Freeholder Charles Tomaro

Edison Township Council

Council President Ajay Patil
Council Vice President Leonard Sendelsky
Council Member Joseph Coyle
Council Member Robert Diehl
Council Member Alvaro Gomez
Council Member Sam Joshi
Council Member Michael Lombardi

Edison Board of Education Members

My Administrative Team
Business Administrator Maureen Ruane
Director of Law William Northgrave
Administrator of Policy & Strategic Initiatives Melissa Perilstein
Special Assistant to the Mayor Mahesh Baghia

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 Mary Leight-McAvoy
Dana Ligato-Greco, Courtney Dill, Deborah Donald & Lori Williams

Edison’s Management Team

Finance Consultant Ken DeRoberts
Engineering Consultant Andy Hipolit
Director of Public Works Anthony Russomanno
Director of Health Jay Elliot
Interim Recreation Director Joyce Fircha
Police Chief Tom Bryan
Fire Chief Brian Latham
OEM Coordinator Andy Toth
Township Clerk Cheryl Russomanno
Library Director Judith Mansbach
Construction Code Official John Soltesz
Tax Collector Lina Vallejo
Tax Assessor JoAnn Jimenez
Human Resource Manager June Brescher
Purchasing Agent Laura Popick
Municipal Court Administrator Kelly Sommer
Animal Shelter Manager Kirsten Briggs

Tonight, I am proud to declare that Edison Township continues to thrive economically, remains
one of the most affordable and safest communities within the state and has been recognized
nationally for these accomplishments. Edison Township continues to prosper and capitalize
on its diversity.
Edison has become a premier destination within NJ for business development. Our economic
strategies have made our Township one of the most desirable destinations for corporate and
commercial investors.
This has created thousands of new job opportunities and it has helped to lower Edison’s
unemployment rate to 2.6-percent, from a high of 6.7-percent in 2014.
New businesses strengthen our municipal tax base and local economy.
Edison Township continues to be a choice location for people to live and raise their families.
A large component contributing to Edison’s desirability is its “affordability”, safety and
excellent school system.
Over the past few years, Edison Township has been recognized as one of America’s – and
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certainly one of New Jersey’s – best places to live, most notably by CNN-Money Magazine.
In 2017, Edison’s municipal tax rate decreased from the eighth to sixth lowest Middlesex
County tax rate out of 25 towns.
In my first term as Mayor my primary focus was establishing a strong foundation of
investment and services within the township. I am proud to say with team work and a vision
we have achieved these goals.
My Administration – working with our Township Council, community leaders and our business
community – has accomplished much over the past four years.
That momentum will continue as we forge forward to meet the many challenges ahead.
Let me highlight some of our accomplishments.
EDISON TOWN HALL
During my first, four-year term, my Administration took a series of prudent steps to increase
financial efficiencies throughout Town Hall. Technology upgrades, new financial software,
streamlining procedures and employee training are paying off.
We have dramatically improved Edison’s ability to track and manage our money; to collect
property taxes, sewer utility taxes, fees and penalties; and to make revenue projections with
greater accuracy.
We continue to fine tune our financial strategies to produce even greater efficiencies. I can
proudly report that Edison Township’s financial health is strong. Here are a few key highlights:
 In 2017, the market value of Edison’s total ratable base climbed to over $16 billion, the
second highest in our state behind Jersey City
 This year, Edison projects a $48 million increase in ratables – the largest one-time
increase we have seen since 2002.
 Moody’s Investors Service has once again issued an excellent MIG1 credit rating to
Edison, citing our strong financial management; ratable growth; and healthy liquidity.
 Our rigorous defense of tax appeals has resulted in fewer appeals being sought during
2017 — and, of those filed, 40-percent were dismissed or voluntarily withdrawn.

DIVISION OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Each year, I remind you that public safety is our municipal government’s top priority.
My Administration is committed to ensuring that our Police and Fire Departments are well-
equipped, technologically-enabled and sufficiently staffed to protect Edison Township.

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 EDISON POLICE DEPARTMENT
Working with Police Chief Tom Bryan and his Command Staff, my Administration has also
worked diligently to raise our Police Department’s level of professionalism and accountability,
thereby restoring public confidence and trust in our Police Department.
These efforts began early in my first term as Mayor with rigorous hiring procedures for police
recruits, a strict code of conduct for our Police Officers, and a no-nonsense approach to
transgressions.
In February 2017, the Police Department launched the Body-Worn Camera program that uses
cutting-edge technology to document each on-duty Police Officer’s actions.
There are 130 Body-Worn Cameras assigned to uniformed officers. They have recorded over
40,000 on-duty videos. These recordings are crucial investigatory tools and serve as
evidence in court proceedings.
These videos also document our Police Officers’ actions and behavior — as a result Chief
Bryan reports that our Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit saw a 61-percent decrease in
the number of investigations resulting from citizen complaints against our Officers.
One clear indication of our success at restoring our Police Department’s reputation came in
December, when Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey removed his agency’s five-year
oversight of our Internal Affairs Unit.
At that time, the Prosecutor’s Office of Special Investigations recognized the Edison Police
Internal Affairs Unit for its professionalism, citing it as a role model for what other police
departments should do.
Another source of pride, is the extraordinary community service project that was undertaken
by our police department. What I will call “The Grinch Project”, was a unique and creative
way to promote the local toys-for tots campaign. The Grinch became a social media
sensation and brought national notoriety to our police department for their community
outreach.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Working closely with Fire Chief Brian Latham and his Command Staff, we hired 4 more career
firefighters in 2017, bringing our Fire Department’s total compliment to 141.
My Administration has invested nearly $6 million in new and essential fire vehicles and
firefighting apparatus over the past four years.
Most recently, our Fire Department accepted delivery of a new Heavy Duty Rescue Truck

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equipped with state-of-the-art rescue tools and it acquired two new Light Duty Rescue Trucks
outfitted with new rescue equipment and one ladder truck.
Under our capital improvement program, the Fire Department recently purchased two new
pumper trucks that are to be delivered this September.
All firefighters were trained to administer NARCAN in direct response to the opioid epidemic
that is plaguing our country.
In 2016, Edison hired a fourth Deputy Fire Marshall that enabled our Fire Prevention &
Inspection Bureau to increase its total number of fire safety inspections to nearly 3,500 last
year.
As a result, the Fire Prevention & Inspection Bureau generated over $700,000 in revenue, the
third highest in our state.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Under the direction of Jay Elliot, our Department of Health & Human Services remains at the
forefront of safeguarding our quality-of-life and ensuring a clean community. This multi-
faceted Department provides:
 Environmental health inspections that ensure the safety of rental housing,
restaurants and other food establishments, schools, childcare facilities, hotels,
laundromats, hair salons and barbershops. In 2017, our inspectors conducted 4,122
of these essential inspections.
 Property maintenance inspections at vacant and overgrown properties or sites
where garbage was illegally dumped. In 2017, inspectors investigated 3,464
complaints.
In response to growing concerns about Electronic Waste disposal, our Health Department
partnered with Middlesex County’s Division of Solid Waste to host two E-Waste Collection
events in April and November.
The results were astounding – during these one-day E-Waste Collections events we collected
96,500 pounds of old televisions, computer hard-drives, monitors and printers. Instead of
being left curbside as trash, they are being recycled.
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
With our newly appointed Director of Public Works, Anthony Russomanno, essential services
to ensure our residents quality-of-life, continue to be provided in an efficient and customer
focused manner. Nothing is less glamorous than the wide range of services our Department
of Public Works provides — maintaining and upgrading our infrastructure, our parks and open
space, and our public buildings.
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In 2017, for example, Public Work has:
 Swept 2,345 miles of streets, collecting 2,165 tons of debris.
 Filled nearly 5,000 potholes
 Partnered with Middlesex County to install a children’s playground at the new
Metuchen-Edison Dog Park.
DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION
The Edison Recreation Department and Interim Director Joyce Fircha continue to offer a
broad range of entertainment and activities for children and adults, and exciting special
events for our residents — among them, the successful Fall Family Spectacular in Clara
Barton and our 4th of July Celebration that attracted over 5,000 people last year.
For the past two years, the Recreation Department has partnered with the Edison Memorial
Tower and Museum Director, Kathleen Carlucci, and enlisted actors from Edison High School
Drama Club, to host the “Tower of Terror & Trail of Horror” for Halloween attracting hundreds
of adults and youngsters in 2017.
Our youth and adult sports programs and leagues – including baseball, softball, football,
soccer and wiffleball – continue to grow in popularity. The most significant growth has been in
adult and youth cricket, with the number of permits rising from 48 to 64 last year.
With help from our Public Works Department and the Board of Education, Edison created a
new cricket pitch at Martin Luther King Elementary School for youth cricket and our
Recreation Department is in the process of creating our first Edison Youth Cricket League.
YOUTH OUTREACH PROGRAM
At risk youth is a top priority of my administration and ensuring the township appropriately
address the needs of that community and provides programs to respond to their specific
needs.
In 2017, former Jets wide receiver – and Edison native – Mike Campbell came aboard as one
of my appointments, as our Youth Outreach & Opportunity Coordinator. The goal: to provide
mentorship and positive role modeling, and a sense of hope for their future.
Created exclusively with this in mind, Edison sponsored its first “Scoop & Score Success
Football Camp” designed to teach youngsters the value of teamwork, fair play and
sportsmanship – and how to apply those values to everyday life.
“Scoop & Score Success,” was a collaboration with our Recreation and Health Departments
and the nonprofit “Dreams for Kids”. We brought big-name NFL players who coached gridiron
skills to 130 youngsters from 6-to-18 years-old. We look forward to another successful camp
this year and also launching a mentorship program in collaboration with the Housing Authority
and The Dale Caldwell Foundation.
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 PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM
With Library Director, Judy Mansbach at the helm, once again, 2017 was a productive year for
the Edison Public Library System. Our libraries consistently offer high-quality programming for
children, young adults and adults that includes career assistance, adult cooking classes, free
computer classes and free health screenings.
In time for last year’s Summer Reading Program, Amazon donated 75 Kindles to our Public
Library System. All three branches and the Bookmobile circulate these Kindles which are
loaded with thousands of titles. Some Kindles were also used as prizes for the Summer
Reading Program.
The most exciting news is that our Library System accepted deliver of a new Bookmobile to
replace one that was nearly three decades old. The new Bookmobile is equipped with the
latest technological features and will serve the residents of Edison for many years to come.
ANIMAL SHELTER
In 2017, our Animal Shelter took in 232 dogs, 337 cats and 61 other small furry or feathered
animals. More importantly, it successfully found new homes or transferred all adoptable pets
thanks to its network with other shelters and animal rescue groups, and its growing social
media presence.
More than 6,500 people currently follow our Animal Shelter on Facebook. Their assistance –
by sharing photos of our adoptable animals – was a tremendous help to find homes for our
animals.
Animal Shelter manager, Kirsten Briggs has undertaken renovations at the Animal Shelter to
make it more welcoming and we can look forward to a Grand Re-Opening in the spring.
CODE ENFORCEMENT
No greater example of how vibrant Edison’s growth has been then in our Code Enforcement
Department. Under the direction of John Soltesz, we had another banner year. The
department collected over $6 million dollars in permit fees and issued over 5,721 permits. We
collected $210,300 in CCO fees and conducted over 19,318 inspections.

ENGINEERING
Carl O’Brien and Andy Hipolit from Maser Consulting have begun to implement new
processes and procedures within our engineering department to ensure efficiencies and
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accuracy.
Since I took office in 2014, Edison has repaved 225 roads including 59 completed last year.
We anticipate resurfacing over 70 more streets this year. We have repaired or replaced
approximately 3,500 square feet of sidewalks and 5,000 feet of curbs.
The engineering office processed approximately 500 new permits and our zoning office
processed 1000 new zoning permits. The Property Maintenance group, operating under our
Zoning Officer inspected and aided in improving the appearance of over 400 properties.
I am happy to inform everyone that with the assistance of Millennium Strategies, we just
received notice that we were awarded a NJDOT grant for $625,000 to enhance our road
paving initiative.

EDISON ARTS SOCIETY

The Edison Arts Society under the direction of Gloria Dittman continues to enhance the
cultural environment of our community. We look forward to the much anticipated sculpture
garden that we are collaborating with the arts society on which will be located around Lake
Papaianni Park.

MOVING FORWARD
During my first four years as Mayor of Edison, my Administration concentrated on bringing
stability and greater fiscal responsibility to Town Hall; capitalizing on business investments;
and upgrading our infrastructure. Those efforts will continue throughout my second term.
My next four years as Mayor will focus on enhancing Edison Township’s future. We will
continue to build upon our success and ensure we provide affordable, high quality services to
our residents and businesses.
Building for our future relies on teamwork and the continued development and enhancement
of critical partnerships. With the Chinese New Year just recently celebrated, and the
designation of the Year of the Dog, I find no better analogy to represent what needs to be
embraced in order to attain the goals I have for Edison Township. Dogs are known for their
loyalty and teamwork and these two qualities are essential traits that must be embraced to
achieve the goals I will set forth for Edison’s future.
The Edison Environmental Commission has embraced this philosophy and through their
diligence and teamwork have begun to make significant inroads for environmental initiatives
within the town.
We must continue to look at redevelopment opportunities. We must shape our neighborhoods
into what we want to see in the future. The upcoming transition of the Exxon Mobile site is a
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perfect example.

A NEW COMMUNITY CENTER

My administration’s top priority is to build a new “state of the art” community center that is
reflective of the needs and diversity of our community. We will hold our second public forum
on March 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the Edison Municipal Complex to solicit more feedback from the
community on what type of activities they would use at a new community center. Teamwork
with our Township Council and a partnership with Middlesex County will be essential to
executing this very ambitious endeavor which I know we will accomplish together to benefit
the residents.

PURCHASE OF 48 ETHEL ROAD

The township recently purchased a new building on 48 Ethel Road, which will become the
new home of the Edison Sheltered Workshop. The Edison Sheltered Workshop’s relocation
will occur on July 1, 2018. The building will also temporarily house other recreational
programs, so we can maximize space during the construction of a new community center.
As I mentioned earler, partnerships and teamwork are the critical components to building the
future of Edison.
BOE PARTNERSHIP
We must expand and leverage our partnership with the Board of Education, to address the
overcrowding issue in our school district. Since 60-cents of every Edison resident’s tax dollar
goes directly to the school district budget, it is imperative that we partner with them to achieve
a sustainable and fiscally responsible solution.
COUNTY PARTNERSHIP
Our continued collaboration with the county will be essential to financing a new community
center. Some fine examples of our prior partnerships are represented:
- with the light being placed at Woodland and Oak Tree Road
- collaboration on redoing our tax maps
- and a community favorite — our new dog park.
Our enduring relationship with the county will provide our residents with premier services and
facilities while minimizing cost.
STATE PARTNERSHIP
With the advent of a new governor and the relationship with our representatives at the state
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house, we envision a new era of cooperation with our efforts to have improvements to the Rt.
287 access points within Edison Township. This is a critical issue to ensure the safety and
quality of life of our residents. We will work more closely with the Statehouse and Governor’s
Office to make sure this project is given top priority.

CONCLUSION
Building a future for Edison, that embraces our legacy of innovation and creativity, requires us
to leverage our teamwork and partnerships with: the council, the Board of Education, the
county and the state to achieve these aggressive goals:
-resolving the school overcrowding issue,
-Building a “One of a Kind” community center
-Improving the Rt.287 access points
-Wellness and beautification efforts
-economic redevelopment
-infrastructure improvements
We need to continue to remind ourselves that there is only a limited amount of time to
accomplish our goals. Let’s not allow that time to pass without achieving all that we can.
Let’s not look back with any regrets of missed opportunities. Our children and grandchildren
are depending on us.
How could I end without a quote from my favorite musician philosopher, Bruce Springsteen
which is a challenge I make to each of you:
“Somebody who can reckon with the past, who can live with the past in the present, and move
towards the future – That’s fabulous.” Let’s be fabulous together and build a future for Edison
that is built on innovation and creativity through teamwork and partnerships.
REMEMER: “NOBODY WINS UNLESS EVERYBODY WINS”

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