After pushing, unsuccessfully, for same-sex marriage in Albany, the seven-year director of the Empire State Pride Agenda has left his job and is now working with the New York City comptroller.
Alan van Capelle’s strategy to legalize same-sex marriage in New York hid a major roadblock last year when the Democratic’s narrow majority the State Senate failed to secure enough votes to pass the measure.
City Comptroller John Liu announced this morning he hire Capelle as a deputy comptroller for external affairs.
UPDATE: In an interview, Capelle said his decision to leave wasn’t a direct result of the vote in the State Senate, and that he thinks a vote on marriage will pass that house next year.
The organization, he said, is “gearing up to be a major player in this fall’s elections [and to] fight the next campaign in marriage equality. You don’t quit in the middle of those two fights. You quit before they begin.”
