By Nick Sodano, Editor Mount Holly Reporter
The Mount Holly Reporter recorded a conversation with council candidate Pierre Ford on 10/21/26.
Full transparency: I have been friends with Pierre for decades and served with him on the Mount Holly Democratic Committee. We were both elected officers of the Dem Committee at different times. Any suggestion by Fury’s campaign literature that Ford is anything other than a lifelong democrat is fiction.
First question posed to Mr. Ford was about comparing his leadership style and experience to his opponent. In terms of administrative experience, he cited his experience as a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy during the Gulf War when he commanded over 150 sailors with responsibility for tracking personnel and material. His answer to leadership style focused on listening to staff. Ford said his motto was “praise in public, reprimand in private” so his sailors felt respected and understood that Ford looked out for their interests. Ford believes this leadership style kept the lines of communication flowing freely and resulted in a more successful deployment.
“Being a leader, you have to be able to listen. If you cannot listen, you will not be successful” Pierre Ford
Ford’s wife Maurine is a community activist with a variety of interests including traffic safety. The couple have been regular attendees to township council meetings over the years. Ford is familiar with traffic studies and how our township and county governments interact on matters of traffic calming. [see article Traffic Safety ]
As Ford attended more and more council meetings, he came to understand that positions are open on various township committees [like the environmental committee], and so he applied to serve as a volunteer. Council member Tara Astor was attempting to pressure the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to fill those vacancies. But during February of this year, Ford learned that not only were his applications ignored, but people had been seated on various committees who didn’t even bother to submit applications.
“I try to help this community by showing up. I’ve provided three applications now to serve on Committees but didn’t get a single interview. Why should I continue to show up when I’m not given an opportunity to participate? Now I hear that individuals who got picked didn’t even put in applications. That’s totally wrong.” Pierre Ford.
[see Ignoring Volunteer applications ]
The Reporter brought up the issue from Ford’s opponent that he just takes orders and has no voice of his own. Ford said even the framing of that statement indicates Fury is confusing town council with his previous position as a mayor. Ford said “Town council is a team” with a “weak mayor” who is actually just another council member without the power typically associated with a mayor. Ford said he doesn’t need to have a spotlight or make speeches. He then went on to make a reference to the poor attendance record of Mr. Fury during the 2025 Municipal Utilities Authority meetings:
“For some reason or another, some people don’t show up to meetings, OK? I show up. That’s the key to understanding your constituents: showing up so they know you are there for them.” Pierre Ford
Unprompted by a question, Ford continued that what is needed at council meetings is a more proactive response from the Township Manager and other township officials to the requests of residents. He said that when a question is posed that cannot be answered on the spot by administrators or their professionals at the meeting, the answer should be researched and forthcoming within a matter of days, not months. And Mr. Ford said that as a council member, he would press The Manager to make sure resident questions received prompt responses.
Finally, Mr. Ford made reference to the historic character of Mount Holly and said that it needs preservation so that there is something left to pass down to our children.
“Mount Holly is a beautiful town. It’s a historic town. People want to be able to pass down something to the next generation. But in order for that to happen, we have to work together as a team. No one cares if a candidate met the Queen or was a delegate to Haiti. Residents want to know that you can work on a team in Mount Holly to get the job done.” Pierre Ford