City Council last night appointed a member of the Planning Board to the vacant 2nd Ward seat for the remainder of this year.

Become a Patron!
For RahwayRising.com’s 15th anniversary, consider a $15 contribution via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee – or support local news all year round by becoming a monthly Patron.

The governing body unanimously (8-0) appointed Karla Timmons during a brief special meeting. The appointment runs through this year, with a special election in November for the remaining year of the original term (2021-2024).

The Rahway Democratic Committee met Monday night to select three nominees to present to the governing body, since the original seat was won by a Democrat:

• Karla Timmons of West Grand Avenue
• Darlene Eastman of Linden Avenue
• Derron Palmer of Lower Alden Drive

Timmons becomes the fourth female on the nine-member governing body and fifth person of color. She also is the 6th council representative to be appointed to their position in as many years. Of the current nine City Council members, three first were elected rather than appointed to vacant seat: David Brown of the 4th Ward, and Jeremy Mojica and Joanna Miles, both At-Large representatives. The remaining six were appointed after vacancies occurred.

The vacancy arose as a result of the sudden resignation earlier this month of Michael Cox. He resigned on May 8, two days after he was cited for allegedly Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and Careless Driving. Cox, 66, represented the 2nd Ward since winning election in 2008 and was elected City Council president in January for the 2023 term.

Timmons, a fourth-generation resident of Rahway, will have to resign her seat on the Planning Board. She holds a certificate in computer technology as well as a real estate sales license and has more than 20 years of experience in property management. She also owns a beverage catering company, Quench, and volunteers as creative director of the IMPACT Women’s Forum. Her husband, Dorian, is former Redevelopment Agency commissioner and also previously ran for Board of Education in 2020.

The 2nd Ward is comprised of an area in the northwestern corner of the city around Rahway River Park, bordering Linden and Clark.

Become a Patron!
For RahwayRising.com’s 15th anniversary, consider a $15 contribution via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee – or support local news all year round by becoming a monthly Patron.