​Bedminster Democrats Endorse Giuseppe Zaccagnini
for Bedminster Township Committee
The Bedminster Democratic Committee has endorsed Giuseppe (“Joe”) Zaccagnini, of Stone Run Road, as one of their two candidates for Bedminster Township Committee.
“My decision to run for a seat on the Bedminster Township Committee matured in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and of the increasing polarization of our political discourse in the media, in our society at large, all the way down to our very neighborhoods. As the challenges presented by the pandemic increased the need for us to stick together and help each other, our ever sharper political discourse worked to set us further apart from one another. As a candidate for the Democratic Party, I look forward to representing the whole Bedminster community in its religious, ethnic and cultural diversity. My personal life experience and my long, multifaceted professional career have provided me with the necessary tools to communicate and to empathize with my neighbor, to address complex issues and to take appropriate action upon their resolution. My firm commitment to work effectively and efficiently to further the best interests our Township subsumes my equally firm commitment to provide representation for our diverse community across the board, and to reach across the political aisle to ensure that the best interests and the common good of our community are indeed served. And, finally, I will seek to discharge all my commitments and duties in full transparency and accountability, as appropriate for an elected public servant – your public servant.”
Giuseppe has been a resident of the Township since 2016. He is currently retired from the practice of law and from teaching Italian. Following their divorce in 1990, he and his ex-wife (and, subsequently, her new husband) teamed up to raise and be caregivers for their beloved disabled son, Gabe. Giuseppe taught Italian as a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University and as a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania while working towards his Ph.D. He left academia to become a lawyer, and during his professional career spanning over thirty years, he held jobs here in the U.S.A. as an Associate with the law firm of Carella, Byrne, Bain and Gilfillan in Roseland, and as in-house Legal Counsel with Alitalia Airlines in New York City. He then hopped across the Atlantic to work as Manager of Taxation and as/Senior Legal Counsel with IATA (International Airline Transport Association) in Geneva, Switzerland. Following his separation from IATA in 2003, and while working in contracts management at the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization, United Nations), Giuseppe accepted the position as Legal Counsel to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), located in the town of Gland, on Lake Geneva, where he remained until his retirement and return to his home state, New Jersey.
Giuseppe holds a B.A. in the Humanities from Binghamton University, an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard University, and a J.D. from New York Law School. His Ph.D. thesis on 14th Century poet and humanist Francesco Petrarca was published by the Harvard University Press in 1991. As a law student, he was a Staff Member of the Journal of International and Comparative Law.
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