Anthony Pierce is vying for one of two available seats on the Alamance County Board of Commissioners. As the only Democratic party candidate for county commissioner, Pierce will find out who he will compete with after the 2022 primary elections.
But this isn’t his first time running for a seat.
The North Carolina native ran for Alamance County Board of Commissioners in 2020 as a first-time candidate but was unsuccessful. After not getting a seat, Pierce took the next two years to engage in the community more, become a fellow with the Institute of political leadership in Raleigh and develop as an individual.
“I’ve been exposed to a lot of the things that the county faces,” Pierce said. “I have a direct ear to what's going on in the county. I think that makes me a good candidate for county commissioner, which is why I'm running again.”
Pierce said his work experience and background he comes from will be an asset to the board. He currently works as a cancer researcher, and has also held past experiences in public service, from being a paramedic to volunteering at local fire departments. He also serves as the vice president of the local branch of the NAACP.
For all of his experiences, he’s hoping people will see him as a commissioner who will serve those who feel like they don’t have a voice.
“I come from humble beginnings. In my 44 years, I’ve been exposed to a lot of things — from growing up in low-income housing my entire childhood, I utilized county services during that time,” Pierce said. “I think with my lived experience has been all the way across the spectrum, from low-income to being a middle class citizen now.
Some of the major issues Pierce plans to tackle if elected as a commissioner are taking better care of local first responders and increasing healthcare access to community members. He is also hoping to increase education funding in the county and recognize faculty and staff in the community.
“We need to make some hard decisions on taking care of our schools and our teachers. One of the things obviously, is to make sure they have a livable wage,” Pierce said. “ We need to retain our top talent. We have good teachers, we need to figure out a way to keep them.”
As for education at the higher level, Pierce said he’s also hoping to receive support from Elon University students and be a voice for them.
“They need somebody that can advocate for them at the county level because there's sometimes funding available. Sometimes, their voices may not be heard, because oh, they're just kids or they're just students — when we have some brilliant minds at Elon, and I've met a lot of them,” Pierce said.
If elected to the board, Pierce will take on duties as a commissioner of adopting an annual budget for the county, establishing the tax rate, appointing the county manager as chief administrator, establishing and enacting local ordinances and appointing representatives to boards and commissions.
As a second time runner in this election, Pierce is hoping that more people will vote in this election and be involved, whether they vote for him or not this fall.
“I really encourage the voters to vote. Whether it's for me or somebody else, I think we need to participate in the process, showing up to our municipality meetings, showing up to our county commissioner meetings, being present and being involved. That's how we get the county to look into making decisions that work best for the residents.”