Edison Passes Ordinance To Make Mayor Position Full-Time

EDISON, NJ – The Edison Town Council passed an ordinance to make the position of the mayor full-time, with a salary of $135,000.

Read More Here: Edison Proposes Full-Time Mayor Position With $85K Salary Hike

The ordinance passed 4-2 at the council meeting, with council president Joyce Ship-Freeman abstaining from the vote.

The position of the mayor in Edison is a part-time one.

The Edison Municipal Council had said the town needs a full-time mayor due to the “increased demands and responsibilities."

The ordinance was introduced by councilman Joe Coyle. "The ordinance passed reflects the desire of vast majority of residents who want a full-time mayor dealing with serious finance, infrastructure and quality of life issues we have," Coyle told Patch.

Current mayor Thomas Lankey earns approximately $50,000 and serves as Senior Vice President for JFK Healthcare System in Edison.

Lankey had told MyCentralJersey.com that he may veto the ordinance.

Coyle said it's up to the mayor if he chooses to veto, and if so, the legislation would come back to the council.

"But I think he is hard-pressed to explain how a person can juggle two or three jobs, while trying to effectively govern on behalf of 100,000 residents," said Coyle.

The new ordinance will take effect on Jan.1, 2022.

Edison is the state's fifth largest municipality with a population of 102,450.

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