Edison Democratic Chairman Tom Lankey’s transparent attempt to disenfranchise voters by keeping their chosen candidate off the ballot has been definitively rejected. Lankey’s “frivolous” challenge against David Tingle’s mayoral candidacy for the November 4, 2025, General Election has failed.
This major setback for Lankey, who chairs the Edison Democratic Organization, sets the stage for what could be the most competitive mayoral election since 1977, when his uncle Tony Yelencsics won on the People’s Choice ticket with his father serving as treasurer.
The November mayoral election will now feature a three-way race in the general election. Samip Joshi is running as the Democratic candidate, Gloria Dittman is running as the Republican candidate, Dave Tingle is running as an independent on the “People’s Choice” ticket.
Lankey, through his attorney Maximilian J. Ranzato, initiated the challenge on June 16, 2025. The complaint leveled two primary, and ultimately unsupported, accusations against Tingle.
First, Lankey alleged Tingle was trying to “evade the statutory framework governing ballot access in New Jersey” by initially pursuing a partisan candidacy for a different office before switching to an independent mayoral bid. This baseless claim ignored Tingle’s right to pursue different avenues for public service.
Secondly, Lankey launched a broad attack on the validity of signatures on Tingle’s petition, claiming a “substantial number” were invalid. These sweeping allegations lacked the specific details required by law.
“The amount of resources the Democratic Party poured into this frivolous attempt to keep me off the ballot speaks volumes about their fear of true independent voices” said Dave Tingle who will now appear on November’s ballot as a candidate for Mayor. “I’m grateful to Clerk Nancy Pinkin for seeing through this desperate maneuver and dismissing the complaint. It’s a victory for democracy and for the voters who deserve a genuine choice this election.”
Tingle’s attorney, Alyssa Duffy Zara, systematically dismantled Lankey’s arguments on June 18, 2025. Zara sharply criticized Lankey’s signature challenges for their complete lack of specificity, pointing out that he “fails to identify which of the alleged defects apply to any specific signature”. She reiterated that the burden of proof rested with Lankey, and his complaint “lacks the specificity and factual support required by law”.
In a clear victory for voter choice, Middlesex County Clerk Nancy J. Pinkin, through Deputy County Clerk Deborah Braga, issued a determination on June 19, 2025. The office “determined that the petition is valid” and affirmed that David Tingle “will appear on the Edison Ballot for the November 4, 2025, General Election”. Lankey’s attempt to sideline a candidate and thereby disenfranchise voters has been thwarted.
