For Immediate Release
September 8, 2011
Contact: Bill Maer (Gill) 732-233-2584
Tony Salese (ECEA) 973-736-5650
Nat Bender (AFT) 908-377-0393
ESSEX COUNTY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS BEGIN THE SCHOOL YEAR ENDORSING BRENDAN GILL FOR FREEHOLDER
Essex County Education Association’s support of Gill is a rare endorsement of a county-level candidate
MONTCLAIR, N.J. – Citing his unwavering commitment to public education, two powerful teachers ‘ organizations began the 2011-12 school year by endorsing Brendan Gill in the race for Essex County 5th district freeholder.
“I am honored to have earned the trust of the Essex County Education Associations and the American Federation of Teachers. If the voters of the Essex County’s 5th District elect me, I will not let down these teachers – nor the students, families and communities they serve,” said Gill. “Access to a quality education, from kindergarten through college, is something our part of Essex County has been providing very well for a long time. I intend to help keep it that way, for the benefit of all of us.”
"We proudly endorse Brendan Gill because of his strong support of public schools and his commitment to working families in Essex County,” said Tony Salese, President of the Essex County Education Association (ECEA), which represents 11,000 public school employees in Essex County.
“Brendan will make an excellent freeholder and we look forward to working with him when he is elected,” said Salese, who is also President of the Belleville Education Association.
“As a former mayor of Montclair, I know that the entire town equates the Gill family name with dedicated public educators and those who support them. Brendan is the son of one of the most respected teachers in the county. I’ve known Brendan a long time as a staunch advocate of providing quality public education to all people of Essex County,” said Bob Russo, President of the Montclair State University American Federation of Teachers Adjunct Faculty Local 6025.
“Brendan believes in the people who enter our classrooms and cultivate our students’ abilities and promise. That is why the American Federation of Teachers New Jersey believes in Brendan Gill,” Russo said.
Born in Belleville, Brendan Gill is a life-long Essex County resident. He graduated from Montclair public schools and Seton Hall University. His public service career started with U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. working to make sure Essex County towns had a strong voice in the nation's Capital. Brendan has since held top posts with U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman and the N. J. Department of Transportation, where he worked to improve roads and mass transit. Now serving as a top adviser to U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Brendan works on Essex County's priorities every day. Brendan, his wife, Alixon, and their son, Gabriel, live in Montclair where he has served on the Planning Board and chairs the local Democratic Party.
Learn more about the campaign by visiting www.BrendanWGill.com or on Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/brendangillforfreeholder] and Twitter [http://twitter.com/#!/brendanwgill].
Essex County’s 5th District consists of Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair, and Nutley.
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For Immediate Release
June 17, 2011
Contact: Bill Maer, 732-233-2584
BRENDAN GILL KICKS OFF CAMPAIGN FOR ESSEX COUNTY 5th DISTRICT FREEHOLDER
300 Residents, Party Leaders, and Elected Officials in Attendance Gill Launches Facebook and Twitter Campaigns to Communicate with Essex County Families
BELLVILLE, NJ (June 17, 2011) Last night, State Director for U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg and lifetime Montclair resident, Brendan Gill, officially kicked off his campaign to represent Essex County's 5th Freeholder District in Belleville before a crowd of 300 Essex County residents, party leaders, and elected officials.
"The support from friends, family, and colleagues last night was overwhelming," stated Gill. "My life has been dedicated to public service from my time as an aide to Congressman Pascrell, to my service on the Montclair planning board, to my current role as Senator Lautenberg's State Director. I will build on the work I've already done in Essex County to help fund downtown Bloomfield's revitalization, make Montclair's streets safer and clean up Carteret Park in Glen Ridge. I am excited to get moving and work even harder for Essex County families."
Gill was joined by a host of elected officials and party leaders including Senator Robert Menendez, Congressman Bill Pascrell, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Speaker Sheila Oliver, Assembly Majority Leader Joe Cryan, Essex County Chairman Phil Thigpen, Passaic County Chairman John Currie, Senator Teresa Ruiz, Senator Nia Gill, Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin, Newark Councilman Anibal Ramos, Newark Councilman Donald Payne, Bloomfield Mayor Raymond McCarthy and members of the Essex County Freeholder Board. Gill was joined by numerous elected officials from across the five towns.
"This is just the beginning of an aggressive campaign that we are going to wage over the next six months," stated Gill. "Community outreach will be the foundation of my campaign and I look forward to going door-to-door throughout the 5th District to hear from local families and make my case to represent them. This campaign will be an opportunity to share my ideas about maintaining and strengthening Essex County's historic park system and stabilizing taxes so that Essex County remains strong into the future."
Following the event, Gill was recognized by political news hub PolitickerNJ as a 'winner' for the week of June 13, 2011.
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