Ketan Bhuptani was sworn in tonight as the newest member of the Livingston Township Council, becoming the first Asian American to hold local office in a municipality where 29% of the population is of Asian descent.
Bhuptani fills the seat held by Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie (D-Livingston) before her resignation earlier this month to join the New Jersey Legislature.
The Livingston Democratic County Committee recommended Bhuptani to the township council, along with James McIlvaine and Laurence Bergmann.
Bagolie had defeated Bhuptani, 19-10, in a vote for the endorsement of Livingston Democrats in 2022 after incumbent Rudy Fernandez decided not to seek re-election. He had been promised the next open seat.
This fall, he is expected be on the ballot to serve the remaining 25 months of Bagolie’s term. Two other Democratic incumbents, Al Anthony and Michael Vieira, are expected to seek re-election.
While this is a control election, Republicans haven’t won a Livingston council seat since 2010 and have not been in the majority since 1988; the GOP is not expected to be a factor under a presidential year turnout model.