Massey And O’neill To Serve In A Holdover Capacity While Mayor Joshi Calculates Political Fallout.
In a surprising move, Council President Nish Patel abruptly pulled Resolution R.717-122024 from the agenda during last night’s meeting. The resolution aimed to approve Mayor Joshi’s appointment of District 40 Democratic Committeewoman Pallavi Kabadi and District 5 Democratic Committeewoman Rinki Singh to the Edison Library Board of Trustees.
The Mayor’s attempted appointments to the Library Board have sparked accusations of political maneuvering. Critics argue that replacing established and well-respected figures like President Pat Massey and Vice President Sue O’Neill with Democratic Committeewoman Pallavi Kabadi and Rinki Singh, that it appears to be a move aimed at securing Democratic Committee support for next years primary election rather than prioritizing the selection of the most qualified candidates.
However, the Council President’s move does not leave the board short-handed. According to Article III, Section D of the Edison Library Bylaws, board members whose terms have expired shall continue to serve in a “holdover capacity” until new appointments are made. This means that Library Board President Pat Massey and Vice President Sue O’Neill, whose terms would have ended on December 31st will remain in their positions while Mayor Joshi calculates the political fallout of removing them.
Mayor Joshi and Chief of Staff Bob Diehl did not respond to request for comment.
