An attorney and public servant who grew up in Edison, former Councilwoman Sapana Shah is running for mayor of the sprawling Middlesex County town in 2021.

“It’s my home,” said Shah, when InsiderNJ contacted her today to ask about why she intends to run for mayor. “I see a lot of areas where we can do better, especially with jobs creation.”

Last night, Edison residents overwhelmingly voted against a deal negotiated between the office of Edison’s Mayor Thomas Lankey and Edison Environmental Partners, a joint venture between private water company Suez and investment company KKR.

Lankey is not expected to run for reelection, according to Edison sources.

First elected to the school board seven years ago, Shah made history as Edison’s first South Asian councilwoman.

She routinely bucked the old boys network, which denied her the line after she sought an assembly seat and lost a convention nod to Robert Karabinchak.

The Gujarti councilwoman and criminal lawyer by trade spent three years of her childhood in the Hilltop apartments on Oak Tree Road, which gave her the firsthand experience to represent in government those South Asian immigrants in her town who need a voice.

Others already jockeying in the mayoral conversation:

Councilman Joe Coyle

Council Vice President Ajay Patil

Councilman Sam Joshi

Mayor’s aide Mahesh Bhagia

Board of Ed Member Richard Brescher

Councilman Bob Diehl.