Margot Harris Elected Council President At Edison Reorganization Meeting

EDISON, NJ — The Township of Edison held their reorganization meeting on Monday and Councilwoman Margot Harris was unanimously elected as Council President.

Councilman Joe Poyner nominated Harris for the role seconded by Councilman Richard Brescher.

Harris was elected unanimously with a vote of 7-0. She first took office alongside Mayor Sam Joshi in 2022 and then served as Council Vice President in 2023 and 2024.

“I’m looking forward to working with my fellow council members, the Mayor, our hard-working employees, and our Edison residents towards delivering a productive 2025,” Harris said.

“I know you will hold my feet to the fire and I will go out, get myself some fireproof shoes, and jump right in to address your concerns and needs.”

Harris said that 2025 will be a challenging year as the mayoral election is scheduled to take place. She promised to meet personally with each council member to learn about their priorities for the township this year.

I want to get some ideas about what you care most about and what you’re hearing from your constituents,” Harris said.

The Council president then laid out her goals for the year, which include improving senior services and reestablishing a senior committee with resident representatives; working on establishing a Performing Arts Center; restoring a home for the Edison Arts Society; continuing to improve parks and open space opportunities and more attention and respect given to public speakers.

Another idea that Harris presented was urging Mayor Sam Joshi to attend one Council meeting a month to be available to answer questions. Harris also said she would like to restore the six minutes of public speaking.

“To me it’s never about the minutes, but the way the minutes are used. The unfortunate result of what’s happened with this change is that i don’t think we are reducing the time of our meeting, I think they have actually increased due to all the hue and cry,” Harris said.

Joshi said it was a pleasure to work alongside Harris during her tenure.

“My administration looks forward to our continued collaboration to drive meaningful change for the families and future in Edison,” Joshi said.

Meanwhile, Poyner was elected Council Vice President. Poyner was elected alongside Joshi and Harris in 2022.

Poyner’s goals for 2025 include modernizing the township’s zoning definitions, updating the sign code and curb-to-curb guidelines, and promoting the adopt an area program.

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