EDISON, New Jersey: Edison Township Councilwoman Attorney Sapana Shah announced her candidacy for a soon-vacant Assembly seat, pledging to be â€œan outspoken, faithful advocateâ€ for people and families who live and work the 18th District\'s seven communities.

â€œI am seeking this Assembly seat because want to do more to protect and improve the quality-of-life for people and families in Middlesex County and across the state,â€ said Shah.

Gov. Chris Christie\'s recent nomination of state Sen. Peter J. Barnes III to the state Superior Court bench has had a ripple effect in Middlesex County Democratic circles. With Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan favored to replace Barnes in the Senate, an Assembly vacancy will become available.

â€œTime and again, as an Edison council member, I have demonstrated that I am unafraid to speak out for what is right â€“ especially on issues of government spending and public safety â€“ even when doing the right thing is not the most popular thing,â€ Shah said.

â€œI am unashamed to stand up for my beliefs. One of my closely held beliefs is that my duty is to be an outspoken, faithfully advocate for the people who trusted me enough to elect me. I would not betray their trust or compromise my values,â€ Shah said.

In the next week or so, over 300 county Democratic Committee members from East Brunswick, Edison, Helmetta, Highland Park, South Plainfield and South River will convene to select a Senate successor for Barnes and an interim Assembly member.

â€œOther Democrats may try to claim that this Assembly seat is already theirs. But, nothing is a done-deal until our Democratic Committee members vote,â€ Shah said. â€œI am reaching out to fellow committee members, learning about their issues and concerns, and working hard to build bridges between our communities.â€

An Edison council member since 2014, Shah serves on the municipal Planning Board and was previously an Edison Board of Education member.

An attorney in private practice, Shah, 39, is a seasoned civil and criminal litigator who also serves as an Assistant Corporation Counsel in Jersey City. She is past-president of the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association.

A graduate of John P. Stevens High School in Edison, Shah has a bachelor\'s degree in economics from Rutgers University and she worked as financial analyst for Dun & Bradstreet before graduating from Albany Law School.

She said people should identify as Americans rather than asking which part of India they came from or which religion they follow. â€œYou are Americans. You cannot be a foreigner always,â€ she said.

Her parents, Suresh Shah, an engineer and Malti, both retired now, tried to inculcate a civic mentality in her from childhood days, she said. During elections, they were keen to vote and always spoke of the significance of voting in a democracy.

Though she belongs to the second generation, she said she does not want to underestimate the many contributions of the first generation for the community. â€œI cannot criticize people or the good things they did. They worked in difficult situations.

She is happy that a fellow attorney Raj Mukherji has been elected to the state assembly.

Her brother Dr Samir Shah is a cardiologist in Atlanta.

Edison Councilwoman Sapana Shah to contest to the NJ Assembly from District 18