Edison residents have voted overwhelmingly to keep the town’s water and sewer systems permanently under public control.

Unofficial results of a special election held Tuesday showed a wide margin of support for a measure that requires New Jersey’s fifth-largest town to maintain public ownership and operation of its drinking water and sewer systems for perpetuity.

The result was a blowout, with 84.4% of the vote in support of the measure and 15.6% in opposition.

The passage of the measure effectively shuts down Mayor Thomas Lankey’s efforts to close a deal with the private water utility SUEZ and the equity firm KKR, in which the two companies would form a partnership that would have leased the town’s entire sewer system and a third of its drinking water system.

The election results were hailed as “historic” by Food & Water Watch, a group that advocates for public control of water systems and had actively been organizing against the proposed lease in Edison.

“This is a phenomenal win, especially in a state where water profiteers are accustomed to getting their way,” said Junior Romero, an organizer for Food & Water Watch. "Let’s hope communities emulate this win in Edison by starting campaigns to bring their water systems under local, public control.”

A total of 10,516 Edison residents voted on Tuesday according to the unofficial results, marking a 17.6% turnout among the town’s eligible voters.

“My administration will follow the direction that our voters have charted for Edison’s future. We have already begun making preparations for a new municipal department to operate and maintain the South Edison water system,” Lankey said.

Richard Henning, a spokesman for SUEZ, called Edison an “anomaly” and said that he did not think this vote would set a precedent for other communities around New Jersey. He added that SUEZ was disappointed in the vote.

“I think this is certainly a missed opportunity for the residents of Edison," Henning said. "The only reason that that water system and sewer system are in such dire straits are because they lacked the capability, if you will, to bring those systems into compliance and up to date with infrastructure improvements.”

Tuesday’s special election was the culmination of a political saga that has run for the better part of a year.

Last October, SUEZ and KKR submitted their bid to lease Edison’s sewer system, and a part of its drinking water system that serves about 12,000 connections. At the time, the proposal was a 40-year contract worth more than $800 million. More than half of that money would come in the form of capital improvements to the systems, while the rest of the money would be payments made to the town. With the new cash flow, Lankey said that Edison would be able to pay off its existing utility debt and build a new community center.

That bid was made to replace an expiring contract that Edison had with New Jersey American Water, which has operated the portion of the water system for more than 20 years.

The remainder of Edison’s water system is owned an operated by the Middlesex Water Company, a private utility. That will not change, according to the town.

Edison’s sewer system is currently owned and operated by the township, and Tuesday’s vote ensures that that will not change.

The SUEZ and KKR proposal met grassroots opposition, driven by local politicians and Food & Water Watch. A push to hold a special election dedicated to the proposed lease was rejected by Edison’s town council in April on a 5-2 vote.

In June, nearly 5,000 residents submitted petitions to the Edison council to introduce an ordinance that would require the town to permanently own and operate the sewer and water systems, a measure that would effectively shut down the SUEZ and KKR deal but also have a much longer-lasting impact on the town.

After the petitions were submitted, a private firm hired by SUEZ and KKR sent door-knockers posing as a non-existent “Edison Utility Improvement Program” to confirm the validity of of the petition signature. The canvassing operation led Lankey to announce that he would explore other options for the future of the town’s sewer and water systems.

Edison’s council rejected the citizen ordinance on a 4-3 vote in July, setting the stage for Tuesday’s special election.

Last week, in the run-up to the election, Lankey announced that Edison had reached a new agreement with SUEZ and KKR that would cut the proposed contract length to 25 years, and committed $30 million to installing air conditioning in Edison schools.

Read more of NJ.com’s coverage of New Jersey water issues here.

Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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