U.S. CONGRESSMAN SEAN PATRICK MALONEY BACKS FORMER CUOMO AIDE PETER YACOBELLIS FOR MONTCLAIR TOWNSHIP COUNCIL

MONTCLAIR, NJ (April 7, 2020)–Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the Democratic Congressman representing New York’s 18th district, has announced his endorsement of Peter Yacobellis for Montclair Township Council. Yacobellis, a former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is running for an at-large council seat in Montclair’s upcoming municipal elections.

Maloney, who served on the House Intelligence committee that investigated Donald Trump for impeachment, said Yacobellis’ lifelong career in public service and activism stood out as an example of the integrity, work ethic and problem solving skills urgently needed in elected officials up and down the ballot, across the country.

“As a member of the committee that investigated the wrongdoing by this President, I know firsthand how important it is to have honest and qualified people serving in office, at every level,” Maloney said. “Peter Yacobellis is someone who I’ve worked with and would bring fresh ideas and a strong work ethic to Montclair. I enthusiastically endorse Peter for Montclair Councilor-At-Large,” he said. 

“Congressman Maloney taught me leadership during the years we served together in state government,” Yacobellis said. “As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, Sean was brilliant in pressing Ambassador Sondland for the truth in the impeachment inquiry. As a member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure committee and Co-Chair of the House LGBT Equality Caucus, Sean continues to do great things for this country. I’m so honored to have his support,” Yacobellis said. 

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, Montclair’s municipal elections will be conducted entirely by vote-by-mail. Voters must return their ballots by May 12.

About Peter Yacobellis 

Peter Yacobellis has dedicated his life to public service. He served as a search and rescue supply distributor at ground zero after 9/11, and as an official with the administrations of New York Governors David Paterson and Andrew Cuomo, helped  pass marriage equality and gun safety legislation, ran the New York rent stabilization office and directed the Hurricane Sandy Command Center.

Peter has been at the forefront of his generation’s fight for LGBTQ rights, propelled by his 1998 discharge from US Air Force basic training under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. In 2009, he helped organize the march on Washington that led to the policy’s reversal. He is the former finance director for Garden State Equality; chaired the Trevor Project’s Board of Directors Government Affairs Committee and launched the New York metro area’s largest LGBT volunteer network—TrevorNextGen—in response to the death of Tyler Clementi. His activism has been recognized with many awards and accolades.

Peter studied business management and political science at Adelphi University and environmental sustainability at Columbia University, and is the former Chief of Staff for the brand and marketing team at American Express. Peter is currently the director of human resources and facilities for Amicus Therapeutics, which develops treatments for children living with extremely rare diseases.

Peter’s connection to Montclair dates to 2007, when he worked out of Garden State Equality’s headquarters at the Unitarian Universalist Church. He is a member of Bike & Walk Montclair and the Montclair Film Festival and has exhibited his artwork in town. Peter and his fiancé, Benjamin have been proud Montclair homeowners since 2017.