MILLSTONE – Two Millstone Township residents who serve on the Environmental Commission are running for two three-year terms on the Township Committee.
Republicans Eric Davis and Tara Zabrosky will not be challenged in the June 8 Republican primary.
Current Republican Township Committee members Nancy Grbelja and Gary Dorfman will both end their service on the governing body on Dec. 31. Dorfman is serving as mayor in 2021 and Grbelja is serving as deputy mayor.
Dorfman joined the Township Committee in 2010.
“It has been an honor to serve the people of Millstone for the past 11 years,” he said. “Time is the most precious commodity for us all and I am looking forward to having more of it available for my family and other enjoyment. I am proud of my contributions and what I helped accomplish. I will leave office with Millstone in a very good position.
“We have protected our master plan and zoning. This has and will remain key to keeping Millstone the wonderful, quiet, rural, safe place it is. Our municipal taxes have remained among the lowest in Monmouth County.
“Millstone Park will be coming and soon open for nighttime use under the lights. We aggregated and refinanced the town’s debt under favorable conditions. The current budget, when finalized, will include payments toward reducing the outstanding principal.
“After my term concludes in December, I will remain available to the next mayor and Township Committee if needed. During the remainder of my term, I am placing an emphasis on knowledge and transfer to the newer Township Committee members.
“I know the Republican candidates Tara Zabrosky and Eric Davis from their participation on the Environmental Commission. I am confident they will do a great job if elected and I encourage all voters to support them,” Dorfman said.
Grbelja joined the Township Committee in 2004 and is the longest-serving member of the governing body.
She explained that she is not seeking the Republican nomination due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the current status of the Republican Party on the local, county and national levels.
“After a full year of living through the coronavirus pandemic, witnessing the death of far too many friends and observing the detrimental change to the Republican Party, I decided I had no interest in submitting a petition to run as a Republican at this time.
“Ethically, I am not in line with what is currently transpiring and therefore felt it was better for me to take a step back. For me, the residents always came first,” Grbelja said.
Davis is a co-owner and vice president of GWS Environmental Contractors, an environmental remediation services company, and BEnvironmental Investigations, which provides soil boring and well drilling services.
He has served on the Environmental Commission since 2002 and has chaired the panel since 2007.
“I fell in love with Millstone from the moment I walked my property in 2000,” Davis said. “The rural character, beautiful scenery, open space and rolling hills, with limited vehicle traffic, remains a breath of fresh air.
“Since moving in, I have learned to appreciate even more of our township, enjoying the many hiking trails, the Monmouth County golf course, organized recreational activities and the township’s natural resources, as Millstone is the headwaters of four of New Jersey’s five watershed regions.
“As a resident of Millstone Township and a business owner of GWS Environmental Contractors, I have the background, experience and skills to help guide Millstone Township for the future. I am a relationship builder, open minded, value the opinions of others and I am able to make critical decisions based on available information.
“I will work hard to preserve what I love about Millstone – the rural quality, open space, environmental cleanliness, natural resources, recreational programs and the education system. I also (look) to improve its infrastructure and services to residents I will pledge to take action to minimize property taxes and to increase property values,” Davis said.
Zabrosky has been a managing partner of a consulting engineering firm based in
Millstone Township that specializes in providing engineering services related to building systems for the past 10 years.
For 15 years, she was a senior engineer at Ethicon Inc., a Johnson and Johnson Company that performed research and development on products used in the market today.
As a volunteer, Zabrosky has served on the Environmental Commission since 2007 and has volunteered for the township’s annual stream cleanup over the past 13 years. She was appointed to the Zoning Board of Adjustment this year.
Her other volunteer positions include serving as vice president of the Millstone Township PTO, as an Allentown Redbirds softball team coach and sponsor, St. Rose High School alumni engineering and science mentor, and volunteering for Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs.
“I feel now is the time for me to give back to the community. My professional skills as a businesswoman and engineer, along with my experience on the Environmental Commission, with the Millstone Township PTO and coaching has shown my commitment in our town’s success.
“We need to continue to preserve Millstone’s rural community and environmentally sensitive resources, allow our children to continue to flourish educationally, and continue to promote extracurricular and recreational activities within the town.
“I understand what makes our town a great place to live and I want to help ensure we do not lose those attributes. I strive to build a cohesive relationship between the township and residents to shape a strong sense of community.
“I am well in tune with the issues concerning this town and have been a community advocate for the past few years for several community concerns. Now is the time to move on from advocating to contributing to the leadership of this community,” Zabrosky said.
The Township Committee has a 5-0 Republican majority.
No Democrats filed nominating petitions to run in the June 8 primary, however, one or two Democrats could secure enough write-in votes in the primary election to earn a line on the November ballot.
A resident who wants to run for a Township Committee seat as an independent candidate has until June 8 to file a nominating petition to secure a position on the November ballot.
