Loughlin Not Youngest Councilman in County

Fourth Ward Councilman Keith Loughlin can add another title to his list - Baby of the Council.

The title, devised by the British House of Commons, is given to the youngest member of a legislative body. Loughlin, 31, took the title from fellow Fourth Ward Councilman Jim Foerst, who held it for several years. Loughlin was sworn in Tuesday to succeed Democrat Tom Bigosinski.

Loughlin plays down his standing as the youngest member of the Council, preferring to focus on his experience as an attorney and aide to Mayor Andy Skibitsky and Assemblyman Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield). He said that the issue did not come up when he was knocking on doors during the 2009 campaign.

"I'm excited that Westfielders gave me the opportunity," Loughlin said. "I don't think of myself as inexperienced, working alongside Andy and Jon Bramnick. Age is not that important of an issue. The voters want me to get to work and don't care what age I am."

Loughlin's age briefly became a campaign issue in the closing weeks of the campaign, when Bigosinski noted that the new councilman is single, childless and rents an apartment. At the time the 41-year old Democrat was contrasting that with his status as a married home owning father of two.

While Loughlin is the youngest current member of the Town Council, he is not the youngest councilman over all in town. Former Mayor Rich Bagger was a law student in his early 20s when he was elected to the Town Council in the 1980s and 30 when he won the mayor's office in 1990. Former Mayor Tom Jardim was in his late 20s when he captured the mayor's chair in 1996. Former Councilman Kevin Walsh was in his late 20s when he was elected in 2001.

Loughlin is joined in the Union County youth caucus by several elected officials who are younger than him. Springfield Mayor Ziad Shehady, Plainfield City Council President Annie McWilliams, Roselle Councilman Jamal Holley, Kenilworth Councilman Kevin Leary Jr., Garwood Councilman Anthony Sytko and Roselle Park Councilman Michael Yakabov are all in their 20s. In addition, newly elected county Freeholder Mohammed Jalloh is 29, the second youngest freeholder in county history.