Bhavini Shah wants her job back.
AB Wire
An Indian American attorney in New Jersey, Bhavini Shah, who had advised on an unpaid basis the Edison Democratic Organization (EDO), on legal issues, is suing Keith Hahn, the chairman of EDO.
Hahn, who became the Democratic chairman in June after beating the establishment’s pick, told Shah that her services were no longer required — she’d missed three meetings, reported NJ.com.
Shah disagreed, saying Hahn never told her about the meetings, and that the committee, not the chairman, has to remove her.
The dispute illustrates the rifts that remain in the Edison Democratic Organization, which has chewed through four mayors in the last four mayoral terms, helping add to unpredictability and dysfunction in the state’s fifth-largest town. Another race for the chairmanship is coming up soon, and one of the people urging Shah on in her efforts to fight Hahn — Lankey administration aide Anthony Russomanno — might try to unseat him in June, the report said.
“Put simply, I don’t think that the Edison Democratic Organization is a one-man operation,” Shah was quoted as saying by NJ.com. “The chairman making a decision and cowboying this entire organization is not fair to the committee-people.”
Hahn, on the other hand, said that the issue is nothing but a distraction.
“There’s people who can’t get out of their driveways because they haven’t seen a plow truck in three days and these idiots are wasting everyone’s time and energy on this nonsense,” Hahn said. “Unfortunately for the tax-paying public, some people don’t think the rules apply to them. That’s the culture I’m determined to change.”
Shah also has the support of Councilwoman Sapana Shah — no relation.
“Given Bhavini’s solid professional reputation and her high regard in our community, it’s unconscionable for anyone to demand her resignation let alone try to terminate her from a voluntary position,” said Councilwoman Shah, who is also a committee member.
After Hahn told Bhavini Shah that she’d been terminated, Shah sent a letter to members of the committee, saying that Hahn had told her he wanted someone “more in line with his thinking.” Shah said that’s not what a lawyer is for.
In response, Hahn thanked Shah for her services but said that she needed to stop using the organization’s letterhead.
Shah isn’t seeking any money, but instead for the court to intervene and declare that she’s still the organization’s attorney.