Edison Township Council Combined Meeting – October 26, 2026

The Edison Township Council held a combined work session and regular meeting on Monday, October 26, 2026, at 6 p.m. The agenda and minutes were not provided, so this summary is based solely on the raw meeting transcript. Councilmember Brescher was absent from the roll call and was referred to as having the 'bug.' The meeting included recognition resolutions, a bamboo ordinance introduction, a tabled data-center ordinance, a contested Glendale property resolution, and extensive public comment on Flock surveillance cameras, a proposed Care One expansion, data centers, and other local issues.

Consent Calendar

• The council adopted the consent agenda except for Resolution 558. Routine items and resolutions were approved, including recognition of Finn Power and Fire Chief Andrew L. Toth Jr., along with various grant, sidewalk, cooperative purchasing, vehicle, and auction items.
• Finn Power recognition: The council recognized Finn Power, a youth-led financial empowerment organization founded in Edison in April 2025. The resolution noted that within its first 18 months it grew to more than 15 chapters and impacted over 10,000 individuals through programs in New Jersey, India, Nigeria, Ghana, and Pakistan. The council praised its advocacy for New Jersey legislation S3462/A3123, proposing a standalone high school financial literacy course. One public commenter asked whether volunteers working directly with schools would be fingerprinted like normal school personnel. The resolution passed by roll call.
• Chief Andrew L. Toth Jr. recognition: The council honored Chief Toth for 28 years of service to Edison, including 23 years in the Edison Township Fire Department, service as Director of the Office of Emergency Management, and leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution noted his 2026 induction into the JP Stevens High School Hall of Honor. Council members and members of the public praised his dedication, humility, and responsiveness. The resolution passed by roll call.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Flock cameras: Multiple residents opposed the council's prior 6-1 approval of 92 additional Flock license-plate reader cameras, bringing Edison's approved total to 114. John Shu said 250 people had signed a petition asking the council to rescind the Flock contract and cited concerns about Flock's terms of service allowing perpetual use of customer data. Hilary Herzeg argued the expansion violated Fourth Amendment principles and challenged council members to place cameras outside their own homes. Arman Muchala said his OPRA requests were not answered within seven business days and questioned Flock's false-positive rate, full capabilities, and the roughly $600,000 cost. Viviane Verismo, a New Brunswick resident with family in Edison, cited audit-log deletion and employee abuse cases and asked that the money be spent on schools. Ian Padua said he no longer felt safe living in Edison. Gabriel Franco asked for a pause and a public vote. Dan Levine asked the council to consider a subcommittee to study the issue. Joyce Ship Freeman raised privacy, water, and grid concerns. Anthony D'Ameron defended the police department, saying officers enforce policy rather than make it. One speaker, Carl Zerman, supported the cameras and asked for more in the Clara Barton section.
• Data centers: Speakers were divided. Supporters, including John Banani, Scott Felasco, Ed Sofield, Richard Schein, and Carl Zerman, cited tax revenue, clean jobs, union labor, closed-loop cooling systems, and examples such as Piscataway, where they said 12 data centers provide 30% of tax revenue and $14 million to the Board of Education. Opponents, including a student speaker, Kulbinder Dhamija, Joyce Ship Freeman, Dan Levine, Gabriel Franco, and another resident, cited water consumption, electric grid strain, environmental hazards, residential placement concerns, and the need for clear definitions to prevent loopholes. The council president noted that the current ordinance already prohibits data centers, so no data-center vote was being taken that night.
• Care One / Inman Avenue expansion: Many residents opposed the proposed 95,000-square-foot Care One memory-care facility on Inman Avenue. Patrick Carroll, Sanjay Amin, Ankit Majmudar, Neil Jarrett, Sue Dylan, and Carl Zerman described concerns including traffic, flooding, noise from a proposed generator, property value declines estimated at 10-20%, and the facility's current fines of $1,500 per day for insufficient staffing. Multiple speakers alleged that the Care One attorney offered donations during the zoning board process and threatened a lawsuit if the application was denied. They asked the council to do the right thing and not bow to pressure. Council members remained neutral because the matter could come back to them in litigation or an appeal.
• Other public comments: Kulbinder Dhamija requested more detailed agenda explanations, annual council presentations, and greater public engagement. Anthony D'Ameron urged the council to consider banning unsolicited coupon newspapers in plastic bags and to lean on state representatives to restore school funding. Joyce Ship Freeman praised COVID-19 volunteer work, raised concerns about a planning board appointment, and called for a ward system. Dan Levine requested busing for religious holidays and more public discussion of surveillance.

Discussion Items

• Data-center ordinance: The unfinished business ordinance related to data centers was pulled from action. The township attorney explained that because the ordinance changes zoning, it must go to the planning board first, which has 35 days to review it. The council tabled the ordinance; the attorney noted the current ordinance already prohibits data centers.
• Bamboo ordinance: Under new business, Ordinance 2290-2026 was introduced to repeal Chapter 25, Section 17 of the Edison code and to amend Chapter 15 to prohibit new running bamboo planting and relegate private property disputes and grandfathering determinations solely to the civil court system. The ordinance passed first reading with Council President Coyle voting no, and a public hearing was set for November 12, 2026.
• Resolution 558 (41 Glendale): This resolution was pulled from the consent agenda. It concerns sending the Glendale property to the planning board for an area-in-need-of-redevelopment study. Public speaker Ron Lawler urged the council to preserve the property as open space, saying it was the last 10 acres in Edison and that county and Green Acres matching funds had been available. Councilmember Kentos moved to table it, seeking answers from the administration about the property's history and legal restrictions. The township attorney said no Green Acres grant had been accepted and the purchase was done through a bond ordinance; he agreed to look into whether any deed restriction applies. The council held a brief closed-session recess for legal consultation. After reconvening, the motion to table failed 2-4, and Resolution 558 was adopted 4-2.

Key Outcomes

• Finn Power recognition resolution adopted by roll call.
• Chief Andrew L. Toth Jr. recognition resolution adopted by roll call.
• Consent agenda adopted except Resolution 558.
• Data-center ordinance was tabled without a vote on the merits.
• Bamboo Ordinance 2290-2026 introduced on first reading, 5-1, with public hearing scheduled for November 12, 2026.
• Resolution 558 was adopted 4-2 after a motion to table failed 2-4.
• The meeting concluded with announcements about leaf bag distribution, Trunk Retreat on October 30, early voting through November 1, Election Day on November 3, the Diwali Festival of Lights on November 7, and Veterans Day on November 11.