Councilor-at Large 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 legislation, ran the New York rent stabilization office and directed the Hurricane Sandy Command Center.
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 which oversaw the Shop Small and Small Business Saturday programs. Peter is currently the director of human resources and facilities for Amicus Therapeutics, which develops treatments for children living with extremely rare diseases.
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’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.