MILLSTONE – After nearly two decades of service, the secretary of the Millstone Township Planning Board and the Millstone Township Zoning Board of Adjustment has retired from her position.
Pamela D’Andrea, who worked for and supported the operations of both municipal boards, retired on April 16.
Mayor Gary Dorfman said D’Andrea began her tenure in Millstone Township in 2004.
“She has been a stellar employee in all the time I have known her. She is someone genuinely committed to the welfare of our community. I am very thankful to have known her and worked with her,” Dorfman said.
Mitchell Newman, the chairman of the Planning Board, praised D’Andrea and said, “For almost my entire tenure as a board member and as the chairman, she has been the board’s secretary.
“In my day job, I am a land use attorney, so I am always before boards and working with planning and zoning secretaries. I have had a chance to encounter a variety of people in that capacity and I can share with you that Pam is at least one of, if not the best.
“She is always diligent, respectful, easy to talk to, happy to help out, and always looking to move the ball forward while always protecting the constituents she serves and the township.
“Every year for the past several years, my wife and I have a conversation about (my) still serving. My pushback (against not serving) is it’s not that bad because Pam makes it easy.
“She makes my job as a board member and the chairman easy to handle. She takes care of all the details. If I am ever doing well representing the town, it’s because Pam has pulled the strings behind the scenes to make it easy for me to do a good job,” Newman said.
Michael Novellino, who chairs the zoning board, said D’Andrea “is not just a board secretary in my mind. She is a professional. I rate her up with the engineer, the planner and the attorney when I look at her, at what she does and at what she brings to the township.
“She makes the job of being the board’s chairman very easy. Pam has a legal background and is very knowledgeable about the Municipal Land Use Law, our township ordinances and everything she needs to know to be fair to an applicant and to make sure we stay in accordance with the Municipal Land Use Law.
“When you are dealing with the public and residents are coming to the zoning board to get a variance or to ask about an application, those can be very tense situations.
“Pam is the type of person who goes above and beyond to help residents through the application process and to explain what they have to do. She explains applications to residents.
“I think Pam excels at being sensitive to the needs of the public. It’s going to be hard to find another person who can do all of those things in the exceptional way Pam does,” Novellino said.