Note:  John Campbell and Rich Harrison are members of Middlesex County NOW-NJ.

EDISON: There were no rose petals or mood music.  Instead of rice being tossed, questions were thrown.  Rather than a mayor or a minister to announce the union of John Campbell and Richard Harrison here yesterday, it was an information manager.

Hundreds of same-sex couples were united elsewhere Saturday in New Jersey, the first day under the state's Domestic Partnership Law.   But instead of the festive atmosphere of Maplewood, where several hundred couples registered Saturday, Campbell and Harrison decided to wait until yesterday, to blaze a trail in their hometown as soon as the work week began.
The union was sealed at the office of the Department of Health, where the line behind the two included an elderly woman requesting her late husband's death certificate and a young woman seeking a copy of her children's birth certificate.	John Campbell, left, and Richard Harrison filed for legal recognition under the state's new Domestic Partnership Law with Mary Briggs of the Edison Department of Health yesterday.

"Edison should be as safe (for domestic partners) as Maplewood," said Campbell, whose legal union with Harrison was not without a bureaucratic hitch.

At the Department of Health office, the two were told the proper form had to be notarized, and that there was not a notary public in the building.  The two left, disappointed by a hurdle couples entering in traditional marriage would not face.

However, when Harrison went back into the building to retrieve his umbrella he learned that a notary public, Laurie Twist-Stebila, worked in the tax office.  She notarized their forms, and wished them well.

Information manager Mary Briggs then walked Campbell and Harrison through the application process.

"Bear with me, I'm new at this," said Briggs.

As proof of their partnership -- which began when they made a commitment to each other on Valentine's Day in 1987 -- the two showed Briggs joint bank statements, joint ownership of automobiles and living wills.

They also had with them a certificate of civil union they obtained in Vermont in 2000.

"This is recognized in Vermont, but we don't live in Vermont," said Campbell, whose way of saying thanks to Vermont was hosting a fund-raiser for Gov. Howard Dean when he was seeking the Democratic Party presidential nomination.

The two had planned to marry in Massachusetts this summer, but decided against it when a Massachusetts court ruled that only residents of that state could enter a same-sex marriage.

"Edison is our home.  This is where we belong today.  Not Maplewood, or anywhere else," said Harrison.

"We are dedicated to making a difference here, to say to people we have the right to be," said Campbell.

The two called the development in New Jersey -- the fifth state to recognize same-sex unions -- a stepping stone to legal marriages that match traditional marriages in every respect.

The Domestic Partnership Law -- which also allows unions between unwed heterosexual couples over the age of 62 -- permits the two to file a joint income-tax form in New Jersey, though not at the federal level.  It mimics traditional marriage in state inheritance laws, and if necessary allows partners to make medical decisions for each other.

Couples seeking a traditional marriage license do not require the seal of a notary public; instead a witness must be present to verify the identity of the couple.  The domestic partnership becomes effective immediately, while the issuance of a license for a traditional marriage requires a 72-hour wait. Both processes cost $28.

Campbell, 74, had a traditional marriage for 14 years.  That ended when, he explained, "I realized I'm gay."  He likens his being a homosexual to his sister being born left-handed.

The two met in Leavenworth, Kan., where Campbell worked for the U.S. Veterans Medical Center, and Harrison did volunteer work.  Campbell is retired.  Harrison, 49, is the director of applications development for HBO n Manhattan.

Domestic partnerships were recognized in other Middlesex County municipalities yesterday.

Two couples in each municipality took advantage of the new law in Woodbridge, Old Bridge, North Brunswick and East Brunswick, while Jamesburg, Highland Park and New Brunswick each saw one couple apply as of 4 p.m. yesterday.

Municipalities have set times and places to apply for domestic partnerships. Here are some of the procedures and hours:

Carteret: Go to the Health Department, 216 Pershing Ave. Call (732) 541-3890 for appointment.

Edison: Registrar in the Health Department, which is located in the municipal building. Call (732) 248-7270 to request an appointment.

Franklin: Go to the Health Department between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Piscataway: Registrar in the Health Department between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

South Brunswick: Register at the Health Department in the Municipal Building.  For more information call (732) 329-4000, Ext. 237 or Ext. 238.

Woodbridge: Register at the Municipal Clerk's office in town hall between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Linden: Go to the city clerk's office during business hours where statements will be taken for the application.

Monroe: Obtain an affidavit of domestic partnership from the township clerk's office at the Municipal Complex on Perrineville Road and complete and sign at the same time in the presence of a notary public.  An appointment with Municipal Clerk Sharon Doerfler between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. is necessary to register the domestic partnership after completing the affidavit.  The fee is $28 cash.  For more information or to make an appointment, call (732) 656-4573.

Helmetta: Go to the Municipal Clerk's office at 60 Main St. and fill out an affidavit between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., and have it notarized.  Municipal Clerk Sandra Bohinski is a notary public.  No appointment is necessary.  For more information, call (732) 521-4946, Ext. 100.

Jamesburg: Applications are accepted at Municipal Complex on Perrineville Road.  Call for an appointment to see Registrar Gretchen McCarthy at (732) 521-2222 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The fee is $28 cash or money order.

Spotswood: The applications will be handled through the registrar, Sandy Conover, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  For more information, call (732) 251-0700, Ext. 831.

North Brunswick: Couples may apply by appointment at the clerk's office between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekdays.  The Township Council passed an ordinance July 5 that set a $7 fee for couples who apply for a domestic partnership certificate.

Sayreville: officials may introduce an ordinance as early as Monday which would set fees for certificates of domestic partnership.

South Amboy: Those looking to register for a license should go to the registrar's office at City Hall between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.  The fee is $28, the same as the fee for marriage licenses.

Perth Amboy: Registrations for domestic partnerships are being accepted at the Office of Vital Statistics in the Alexander Jankowski Community Center, 1 Olive St.  Registrations will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday.  There is a $5 cost per certificate.  Additional information may be obtained by calling (732) 826-1690.

New Brunswick: Couples can receive domestic-partnership certificates in about 15 minutes, said Margherita Kaplan, the city's health official.  The city offices are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and couples are served on a first-come, first-served basis.  The office does not take appointments.  The state mandated filing fee is $28, and New Brunswick charges $10 for certified copies of the certificates.  The $10 fee is the same for all certified copies from the health office, Kaplan said.

East Brunswick: Domestic-partnership applicants may register by appointment only between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. and between 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m Monday through Friday with the township clerk at the Municipal Building, One Jean Walling Civic Center Drive.

South River: Domestic-partner applicants may register with the borough clerk between 8:30 a.m and 4 p.m Monday through Friday at the Municipal Building, 48 Washington St.

Old Bridge: Applying for licenses will be done by appointment from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The state-mandated filing fee is $28, while certified copies are $5.  Applicants should call the Old Bridge Health Department at (732) 721-5600, Ext. 6200.

Rick Malwitz: (732) 565-7291; rmalwitz@thnt.com