Councilman Yampaglia seeks Unexpired Term in upcoming Municipal Election for NA Borough Council!
Life-long resident, local attorney and once again candidate for the Borough Council, Mark Yampaglia believes public service is his calling.
His Dad is Emil Yampaglia who served as municipal judge under both Democrats and Republicans and was the 1990 Democratic candidate for Mayor.
His brother John is a local businessman and serves on the Planning Board. He was an active volunteer in his brother’s campaign for mayor.
While Yampaglia fell short in his bid for the top spot, he felt the untimely passing of former Mayor Joe Bianchi changed him as a person.
“It was a difficult decision to continue to campaign after Mayor Joe’s passing. My heart was not in it and I felt it was important to temporarily suspend the campaign in deference to the Bianchi family,” noted the Borough’s Ranking Member of the North Arlington Governing Body.
The two had served together for over a decade.
“I miss Mayor Bianchi. He was hard working and fair. He was a real NA type of guy.”
Yampaglia thought his campaign was extremely issue-oriented and many of the ideas he proposed are worth considering should he be successful again at the polls.
“Expanded community gardens, a farmer’s market, dog parks and a dedicated bike and running path at the Passaic River that would connect Riverside County Park in Lyndhurst to the Arlington Diner south certainly makes sense for North Arlington. I’m a bipartisan problem-solver who wants to get things done. I believe Democrats and Republicans have an obligation to work together to get things accomplished,” said the four-term Democrat.
Appointed twice and elected to the North Arlington Borough Council in 2005, 2008, 2011 and again in 2016, Yampaglia previously served as North Arlington’s Municipal Defender and has law offices in Rutherford and Jersey City.
What are his most memorable accomplishments?
“I held the line on Property Taxes during my entire career. I helped stop the EnCap project. I worked with five different mayors (Pitman, Massa, Bianchi, Sheedy and Pronti) and I’m dedicated to getting things done no matter who receives the credit. Keeping North Arlington small, safe and suburban is an important part of my time as an elected official.”
“There is no “I” in team,” offered the Councilman.
A graduate of local schools, Councilman Yampaglia is married to his wife Shirley and they are parishioners of Queen of Peace Church where they were married.
A Varsity athlete at NAHS where he played baseball, he also played touch football and Little League Baseball as a youngster.
Yampaglia earned a BA & MA from FDU and his JD from The Touro School of Law. He is also a member of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa.
Councilman Yampaglia credits the North Arlington school district for the success he has enjoyed today as a lawyer and local businessman.
“I value my education and the foundation I received here in North Arlington. I believe my time as a student gave me the confidence to achieve my goals and objectives,” noted the NA Democrat.
When Democrats were formulating their ticket, Yampaglia was willing to seek the unexpired term to bolster their chances of winning.
“Chairman Nick Antonicello asked me to run for the unexpired term so that I may anchor the overall strength of the ticket. I was happy to see that I received the most votes of any candidate on Primary Day,” noted Yampaglia.
“The strategy worked.”
For more information about Councilman Yampaglia, visit the Borough’s web address at www.northarlington.org
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