Pierce: Community Passion Drove Me to Run for Committee

The following is the third in a three-part series of profiles of candidates running in the June 5 primary for Montville Township Committee. Read candidate and 

candidate Annabel Pierce has been volunteering in the township for the past two years and her experiences, coupled with a desire to fulfill a promise to her late mother, are what has driven the Republican to seek the open seat on the committee.

"I always wanted to be part of a community," Pierce said.

Pierce has spent time working with the Towaco Civic Association to have and has volunteered time to help with the township jazz festival. But now she wants to expand her reach and serve more residents of Montville, with a focus on recognizing and assisting the township's volunteers.

To read more Montville Patch coverage of the Montville Township Committee 2012 election, click here.

For the past 11 years, Pierce has been operating her own business with her husband, Jupiter Environmental Services. The business, with an office in Pine Brook, specializes in asbestos abatement. Pierce said her experience as a businesswoman has left her prepared to assist with the township's municipal budget and operating the township more efficiently.

If elected, Pierce said she will work to reduce taxes by taking a close look at where the township is spending money and determining where efficiencies can be made. While she feels it is important to provide township employees with the necessary tools and education to perform well at their jobs, she also feels there is a "lack of oversight" and she would like to "see if personnel are working to their full potential."

"We need to look at every facet of our budget and look at every item and not just how it affects us today, but in the future," she said.

She is also concerned about the township's debt and said she would try to come up with ways to reduce the debt quicker than the current schedule the township is making payments on.

Pierce feels that the township volunteers need to be provided more resources and need to be appreciated more for their work.

"The volunteers need to be commended in this town," she said.

The Towaco resident also wants to make sure the Montville that exists today keeps its unique characteristics for the generations of the future. She feels that turfing some of the township fields may not be such a bad idea since it is costly to maintain non-turf fields on an annual basis.

Honesty is an important value to Pierce and she said she feels there should be more transparency in local government in Montville.

"I want to be honest with the taxpayers and I think if you're honest with the residents, they'll be more than happy to help," she said.

"I want to preserve the traditions that we have and the facilities that we have," she said.

The first thing Pierce said she would do if elected is learn from her colleagues, "get their input and get their expertise." But she is confident that with the knowledge of township issues, she could do the job of commiteewoman well.

"I have a passion for this. I want to get the chance. I definitely have the energy for it and I will be informed," she said.

Pierce is the mother of three children: Isabel, 9, Luka, 6, and Oliver, 4.

Let Patch save you time. Get local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone each day with our free newsletter. Simple, fast, sign-up here.