Indian American Sam Joshi is set to become the first South Asian and youngest mayor of Edison, New Jersey. 32-year old Sam would assume office on January 2022.
Sam, a son of Indian immigrants, Joshi would replace Democratic Mayor Thomas Lankey, whose term ends December 31.
Joshi, a Democrat, who serves as the Township Council Vice President at present, won the hotly contested race for mayor of the township defeating Republican Keith Hahn and independent candidate Christo Makropoulos in the November 2 election.
“I am honoured and humbled to be elected as the next mayor of Edison Township,” Joshi said in a Facebook post.
“Thank you to all my friends, family, and supporters for making this election possible. I pledge to be a mayor for all of Edison and will work hard every single day to address and solve the issues we’re faced with,” he said.
“Mayor Lankey and I have spoken regarding our transition, and I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I want to also thank Mr Hahn for reaching out. I look forward to having the community come together as one as we move forward to a united Edison.”
A ‘son of the soil’, Joshi was born and raised in Edison. Joshi was elected as an at-large Council member at 27, making him the youngest elected official in Edison’s history.
Sam also served on the Fair Rental Housing Authority Board from 2010-2015 and the Edison Zoning Board from 2016 until he was elected to the Edison Township Council.
Sam’s father, Pradeep Joshi, hails from Gujarat’s Shirvrajpur and in the 1990s, he migrated to the US.
According to a report by the Times of India reported,
Politics was deeply rooted in the family, Pradeep’s friend Manorsinh Rathod was quoted as saying. The father-son duo had last visited Shivrajpur around eight years back, “They have a house here and land too,” he said.
According to Rathod, Sam’s grandfather Rasiklal Joshi was a doctor who contested assembly polls as an independent in the 1970s.
Rasiklal’s wife (Sam’s grandmother), Sharda Joshi, was a district panchayat member. “Arvind was also the sarpanch of Shivrajpur,” he said.
