Read Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing: 5/19/2020

This afternoon in the contentious Third Congressional District Republican Primary, Kate Gibbs challenged primary opponent David Richter to two virtual debates in the month of June.

Montclair, NJ – Below are the official results of the 2020 Montclair Municipal Election, certified by the Essex County Clerk:

Mayor – Sean M. Spiller

Councilor-At-Large – Peter Yacobellis

Councilor-At-Large – Bob Russo

First Ward Councilor – William Hurlock

Second Ward Councilwoman – Robin Schlager

Third Ward Councilwoman – Lori Price Abrams

Fourth Ward Councilor – David Cummings

The Stockton Federation of Teachers (SFT) Local 2275 today endorsed Pamela Thomas-Fields in her campaign for mayor of Atlantic City.

“I talk with the governor everyday and if that doesn’t get his attention, then I text him,” New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said today in response to a reporter’s War Memorial question about this story.

“A tragic weekend, governor,” State Police Colonel Pat Callahan reported this afternoon in the Trenton War Memorial.

‘Your decision to allow curbside pick-up only for all non-essential retail businesses, however, fails to accommodate many businesses for which curbside pick-up is impractical and unfeasible. Smaller, mom and pop businesses and specialty shops will still be unable to conduct business….We cannot afford to leave them without a life preserver. Please consider taking this next step to assist in their rescue and road to recovery.’

“We, the Chairs of the Bernie Sanders campaign want to publicly thank Governor Murphy for his commitment to public safety during the Coronavirus health emergency by mandating that every primary voter receive a Vote by Mail ballot.  This action will undoubtedly limit the spread of this deadly virus,” declared Larry Hamm, Patricia Campos Medina and Barry Brendel, Chairs of New Jersey for Bernie 2020.

Today Peter Yacobellis will officially be declared the winner of last week’s town council election in Montclair, Essex County.

Councilman-elect Yacobellis won with 5,472 votes.

If the tally holds, that’s the most votes ever received by any candidate running for any office in Montclair history, he added.

Yacobellis’ record-setting win was a great result for NJ’s LGBTQ community, historically underrepresented in halls of power in NJ politics.

“I was 18 years old when Ellen DeGeneres came out,” Yacobellis told InsiderNJ. “I had never heard of Harvey Milk when I was a kid and I didn’t truly understand what being gay meant until late in my teen years. There certainly were no prominent openly LGBTQ elected officials in my youth either.”

Yacobellis swears in on July 1st. Meantime, he’s savor his win and some nice feedback too.

“Today, mothers are writing me notes thanking me for being out and open in my run because of the example it gives to their children. What a beautiful evolution,” Yacobellis told InsiderNJ.