Peter Yacobellis Sworn In As Montclair Councilor At Large

MONTCLAIR, NJ (July 2, 2020)—Peter Yacobellis, a former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and prominent LGBTQ activist, was sworn in as Councilor-at-Large at the Montclair Township Council reorganization meeting Tuesday, July 1. Yacobellis, who was elected to his first term in office in Montclair’s May 12 municipal elections, is the first LGBTQ candidate to hold elected office in Montclair.

Yacobellis made the following statement upon taking the oath of office:

Harvey Milk once said: “The American Dream starts with the neighborhoods. If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild our neighborhoods. And to do that, we must understand that the quality of life is more important than the standard of living. To sit on the front steps–whether it’s a veranda in a small town or a concrete stoop in a big city–and to talk to our neighbors is infinitely more important than to huddle on the living-room lounger and watch a make-believe world in not-quite living color.”

In Harvey’s words, I hear a powerful call for community – for knowing each other – seeing each other – hearing each other and challenging our own biases and pre-conceived conclusions, whether those are derived from our life experiences or because we’ve been trying to relate to each other for too long through devices or through the media lens that blurs actual reality. If there’s a silver-lining in these times of crises, it’s that we’re being forced to look inward, at ourselves and in our town and thinking about who we want to be and what kind of place we want to be. The possibility in Montclair for a more human centric community has never been stronger. I’m so happy seeing so many kids playing outside, families on their bicycles and neighbors saying hello. I’m even more delighted when I see this community’s roar in support of diversity and inclusion; driven mostly by our young people who have taken to the streets on more than one occasion.

It is impossible to be sworn into office at this moment and not feel the weight of the responsibility of this time. I look ahead at the challenges we are facing, and I’m struck by the fact that the only thing we can be certain about in this challenging time is more uncertainty. Recovering from the COVID-19 crisis. Reinventing how we all live together in Montclair the decades ahead and revisiting how we love one another and honor each other’s humanity are the challenges of this day. The change in Montclair isn’t going to come from this dais. It’s going to come from Montclarions daring to come out of our comfort zones and knowing each other better and communicating more. It’s going to come from all of you participating in our humble democracy and staying involved between elections. I challenge all of you hoping for change to stay informed on the business of this government and show up and use your voice in all of the ways you can.

I am so humbled and honored to be joining this team of leaders. Mr. Mayor, Councilor Russo, Deputy Mayor Hurlock, Councilor Schlager, Councilor Price-Abrams and Councilor Cummings: Each of us brings something very unique — our story and our experience which has shaped our perspective and our judgement. I believe Montclair chose this collective for our collective judgement and I couldn’t be more excited about what’s possible.

Mayor Jackson, Deputy Mayor McMahon and Councilor Baskerville; I will not forget what you’ve done for this town and how much of it has been unsung. Thank you for your years of service in dedication to this special town we call home. Thanks to my fiancé Benjamin, my parents, extended family and friends watching from home. Thanks to my incredible campaign team, Dave Parano and Robin Wallace, to all of my supporters, and to each of you in this room for your friendship, counsel and candid advice.

May we sit here four years from now in an even stronger and better place than we are today.