The ceremony was delayed by several weeks, but Deputy Mayor Ram Anbarasan was finally sworn in at the January 24 Township Council meeting.

Anbarasan was out of the country during the January 3 reorganization meeting when he was elected by his colleagues to be deputy mayor.

With a large contingent of supporters cheering him on, Ambarasan thanked his fellow Council members for selecting him.

“As an immigrant from India, I could have never imagined of serving as deputy mayor of NJ’s 19th largest town, but I’m here,” he said. “Thank you for electing me and trusting me with this honor. I promise to serve you with integrity and the best of my ability always.”

“This town is the best there is in the state,” he said. “We are very diverse, and we have diverse opinions, but we come together to make the right decisions for the people of Franklin always.”

“My mantra is better policies and less politics,” Anbarasan said.