Montclair’s Brendan Gill Running For Reelection As County Commissioner

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair’s Brendan Gill officially kicked off his re-election campaign for the Essex County Board of County Commissioners this week.

Gill, a lifelong Montclair resident, is among the incumbents vying for re-election to an at-large seat on the board in 2023. He will be running in the primary election on June 6. Read More: Essex County Primary Election (See Commissioner, Surrogate Candidates)

Gill is married to Alixon Collazos-Gill, who is also running a campaign as a New Jersey Assembly candidate in the state’s 27th District this year. Read More: Montclair Resident Will Try To Make History In NJ-27 Election

“I am honored to be part of running a county that invests in our parks, recreation, and infrastructure, that built a nationally recognized model for COVID-19 response, and that accomplishes these priorities while being fiscally responsible for our taxpayers,” Gill said.

“I am also very proud of the policies we’ve enacted to protect women’s reproductive rights, to shield our communities from gun violence, and to serve and support the unique needs of all of Essex County’s many diverse communities,” he continued.

“We have a lot of exciting projects coming online, and I am looking forward to continuing my work with the board and my commitment to serving the people of Essex County,” Gill said.

Gill’s campaign team provided the following background information about the county commissioner:

“A lifelong resident of Montclair, Commissioner Gill is a graduate of the Montclair Public School system, where his father, Dan Gill, taught middle school for 50 years. Commissioner Gill was elected to his first term as a District 5 Commissioner in 2011, representing the communities of Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair, and Nutley. He served in that office until 2014, when he was elected Commissioner-at-Large, representing all 22 municipalities in Essex County. Commissioner Gill served as President of the Board during the height of the COVID-19 crisis and helped coordinate and implement Essex County’s response to the pandemic. He also served as president of the New Jersey Association of Counties.

“Commissioner Gill is known as an accessible and responsive legislator who has prioritized issues of health, safety, and quality of life. He was an early and leading proponent of the Essex Hudson Greenway, the single largest conservation project in New Jersey history. The project will transform an abandoned rail line from Montclair to Jersey City into New Jersey’s newest state park, providing bike trails, walking paths, and outdoor recreation for one of New Jersey’s most densely populated and developed areas. Commissioner Gill also chairs Essex County’s Anti-Gun Violence Committee. Under his leadership, the Board passed an ordinance requiring vendors who sell firearms to Essex County to prove that they work only with reputable dealers and to provide information about their policies regarding the sale of assault weapons to civilians, limiting the sale of armor-piercing bullets to law enforcement and the military, and combating illegal gun trafficking and gun violence.

“Commissioner Gill led efforts to ban smoking in county parks, to adopt best practices that ensure the security and integrity of Essex County’s elections, and to improve traffic and pedestrian safety. He chairs Essex County’s annual Irish American heritage celebration, which recognizes the dignitaries of the county’s three St. Patrick’s Day parades. He has received many awards and recognitions for his work, including honors from the New Jersey Association of Counties, The New Jersey Conference of Mayors, and the Montclair NAACP.

“Commissioner Gill is the chairman of the Montclair Democratic County Committee and serves on the board of the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition. He is a weekly panelist on WOR's NJ NOW public affairs program and is a member and generous supporter of the NAACP, Seton Hall University Alumni Association, St. Teresa of Calcutta Church in Montclair, Blue Wave NJ, Toni's Kitchen, and NJ Policy Perspective.

“Professionally, Brendan Gill is the founder and CEO of The BGill Group, a public affairs and strategic communications firm based in Montclair. Notably, he served as the architect of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s historic 2017 election, as state director for U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, senior advisor to U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, district director for U.S. Congressmen Bill Pascrell and Steve Rothman, chief of staff to Assemblyman Peter Eagler, and communications director for the New Jersey Department of Transportation under two commissioners.”

The deadline to register to vote in New Jersey’s June 6 primary election is May 16. For more information on how, where and when to vote, visit: https://nj.gov/state/elections/vote.shtml.

• Read More: Register For Primary Election, Montclair League of Women Voters Urges

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