Candidate Eric Lignell with his wife and daughters, circa 2013. 

Meet Eric Lignell

It seems like yesterday my girls were young, and I was a busy Dad, volunteering for their sports and extra curricular activities, and taking them every year to the Metuchen Daddy Daughter Dance. These are the special small-town memories we all cherish.

I have been blessed to call Metuchen home for almost twenty-five years and blessed to raise my family here. Now it is time to give back to the "Brainy Borough" that has given my family and me so much.

My name is Eric Lignell. I am a happily married father of three beautiful and bright daughters aged 28, 24, and 18 years old. My daughters are proud graduates of Metuchen High School, which prepared them for acceptance to Georgetown University for their higher education degrees.

As a graduate of University of the Ozarks with a bachelor's degree in History & Public Administration, and currently employed as an account manager at a facilities management company, I have the background needed to represent you and your values on the Metuchen Council. 

I love our town. I am an active volunteer with the local Knights of Columbus, which raises funds to support children with special needs campaigns and homeless shelters. In addition, from 2003-2021, I volunteered at the Metuchen Municipal Pool and the Metuchen YMCA as a swim official and referee. I also spent about five years on the swimming board of both the MMP and the Metuchen YMCA and know first-hand the benefits of a vibrant municipal pool.

I’m running as a Republican for Metuchen Council because this deliberative body crucially needs balance. Currently, the mayor and all council members are Democrats, and all vote their party way, regardless of whether it is right for the borough. The foundation of a healthy council is to consider varying viewpoints before making decisions that affect borough residents, businesses, and infrastructure. My commonsense approach to local government, taxes, and transparency would allow me to advocate for my neighbors who currently do not have a voice on the Metuchen Council.

It would be my sincere honor to fill this role. Democrat Vanity Projects have made downtown look nice but have come at the cost of important infrastructure being ignored. It's like buying fancy furniture for your house to “look good” and ignoring foundation cracks and a leaky roof! This is what is happening in Metuchen.

If elected, I would encourage transparency with borough projects moving forward like the unchecked approvals of multimillion dollar building contacts taxing our already overburdened system, the failing Metuchen Jersey Avenue Pump Station, and the Metuchen Municipal Pool Renovation.

Residents and businesses are being kept in the dark and our council should consider all options with resident, business, and first responder input before these major decisions are made.