Edison Mayor Candidate Says Council Racist Flyer Probe A 'Sham'

EDISON, NJ — Edison Mayor candidate Mahesh Bhagia on Wednesday said allegations linking him to the 2017 racist flyer incident were “untrue.” He called for an investigation into the matter.

Bhagia was recently endorsed by the Edison Democratic Organization for the mayoral race.

In November 2017, a flyer was distributed in Edison featuring photos of school board members Jerry Shi and Falguni Patel, with "deport" and "Make Edison Great Again!" stamped on it. The flyer also said that "The Chinese and Indians are taking over our town!"

Bhagia was first indirectly linked to the incident last year when a United States Postal Inspection Service report identified his brother and five others for their alleged involvement in the matter.

Read More Here: Councilman, BOE Members Named In Edison Racist Flyer Probe

Calling the incident from 2017 “shameful and deplorable,” Bhagia said the investigation was a “sham” that tried to “further personal political ambitions and target political opponents.”

More recently, a New Jersey Globe report linked more people with the incident.

After the report was published, Mayor Thomas Lankey released a statement saying he was "appalled" after reading the transcript of the audio recording.

He and Council President Bob Diehl then called a press conference and urged New Jersey Attorney General's office and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office to step in and bring to justice those involved.

Read More Here: Edison Mayor, Councilman Demand Justice In Racist Flyer Incident

“In 2017, I was not on the ballot and had no reason to participate in the creation of the flyers,” Bhagia said in a statement.

“The attacks against me are wholly untrue and are being spread by politicians who have at every turn opposed the reforms we seek.”

In the past few weeks, Bhagia’s opponents have publicly called for him to drop out of the race.

Bhagia said the investigation conducted by the township was “compromised” and that it was a waste of taxpayers' money.

“This investigation should be run by real law enforcement,” he said.

Edison's Committee of the Whole has been working closely with the United States Postal Inspector to investigate the incident.

Bhagia said the council has “fumbled around” the investigation and politicized the matter.

“For the record, I have testified, under oath, before the committee of the whole and answered all the questions posed to me,” he said.

Bhagia, the current Edison Democratic Organization chairman, recently won the local Democratic Party’s endorsement. He received 101 votes, defeating Councilman Richard Brescher who received 32 votes and Sapana Shah who received seven.

The council also voted to endorse Tom McCann, Sparshil Patel and Shannon Peng for the three Edison Council seats currently held by Democrats Bob Diehl, Samip (Sam) Joshi, and Alvaro Gomez.

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