Edison Election: As Innovation Leaves Edison, It’s Our Local Businesses That Will Feel It Most

Edison has always been proud to call itself the Birthplace of Innovation. It is not just a slogan. It is part of who we are. From our schools and our families to our small businesses, this town is built on hard work, imagination, and new ideas.

But right now, we are watching innovation leave town.

Eos Energy, a clean-tech company developing zinc-based battery storage, is moving its headquarters from Edison to Pittsburgh. This is not just a corporate relocation. It is a loss that will echo through our community for years to come. Hundreds of high-paying jobs and a $350 million investment that could be growing right here in Edison are heading to Pennsylvania instead.

When a company like that leaves, the ripple effect starts immediately. It is not just about engineers or office workers. It is about everyone who depends on them. The restaurants where they grab lunch, the coffee shops where they meet before work, the dry cleaners, the barbers, the gas stations, and the local convenience stores. These are the small businesses that keep Edison’s economy alive. When big employers leave, those everyday places — the heart of our community — feel it first.

We cannot afford to lose that.

Edison has everything it needs to succeed. We have world-class schools, a strong workforce, and a location that most towns would dream of. What we are missing is leadership that focuses on long-term growth instead of short-term politics.

Our future depends on rebuilding the kind of environment where companies want to stay, where families can grow, and where opportunity expands instead of drives away.

That means focusing on the fundamentals:

• Investing in infrastructure that supports business growth.
• Creating transparent, local incentive programs that reward companies for staying and hiring Edison residents.
• Building workforce pipelines that connect our students directly to good jobs here at home.
• Supporting local entrepreneurs, the family-run restaurants, coffee shops, gas stations, and service businesses that keep our community vibrant.

When I talk about restoring trust in local government, this is what I mean. It is about creating a town where residents, business owners, and investors all believe that Edison is a place worth building in.

Innovation is not just about technology. It is about trust. When residents trust their government, when small businesses trust that they will be supported, and when neighbors trust one another, innovation thrives.

Edison can be that kind of place again. We can bring innovation back home. We can make Edison the future again — not just in name, but in the way we live, work, and grow together.

David Tingle
Independent Candidate for Mayor of Edison
Independent Leadership for Edison