Preceded by Jack Alter Party Democratic Party Role Mayor of Fort Lee | Name Mark Sokolich Political party Democratic | |
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Full Name Mark J. Sokolich Alma mater Rutgers University; Seton Hall University Profession Attorney and politician Office Mayor of Fort Lee since 2008 Education Seton Hall University, Rutgers University | ||
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Mark J. Sokolich (born 1963) is an American attorney and politician. He currently serves as the mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey. He is also the managing partner of the law firm that he founded. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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Early life
Sokolich is of Croatian descent and was raised in Fort Lee. His father died when he was 12 years old, and his mother died the following year.
Sokolich graduated from Fort Lee High School. He played basketball and baseball in high school, and was named All-State in basketball and All-County in baseball. Though universities offered him scholarships to play basketball, he broke his ankle during his senior year of high school, and the scholarship offers were withdrawn. Sokolich enrolled at Rutgers University, and he walked on to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team. He earned his bachelor's degree from Rutgers. Sokolich earned a juris doctor from Seton Hall University School of Law, which he attended at the same time as Chris Christie.
Career
Sokolich worked in a few law firms, before forming his own, Sokolich & Macri, in 1998, of which he serves as the managing partner. He is also a director of Bancorp of New Jersey.
Sokolich served on the Fort Lee City Council for four years before being elected mayor in 2007. Sokolich replaced incumbent mayor Jack Alter as the Democratic candidate after Alter's sudden death. Sokolich was re-elected in 2011.
When Chris Christie ran for re-election in 2013, Sokolich did not endorse him. Evidence strongly indicates that this lack of an endorsement led Christie's deputy chief of staff to direct a Christie appointee on the board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to reallocate two of the customary three toll lanes from Fort Lee to the George Washington Bridge, causing massive gridlock.