Mark Sokolich
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Mark J. Sokolich ( ; born 1963) is an American attorney and Democratic Party politician who has served as the mayor of
Fort Lee, New Jersey Fort Lee is a Borough (New Jersey), borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop The Palisades (Hudson River), The Palisades. As of the 2020 Uni ...
. He is also the
managing partner A partner in a law firm, accounting firm, consulting firm, or financial firm is a highly ranked position, traditionally indicating co-ownership of a partnership in which the partners were entitled to a share of the profits as " equity partners" ...
of the
law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...
that he founded.


Early life

Sokolich is of Croatian (possibly from the
Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; ; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ; ; ) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. Located at th ...
n region), 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 Fort Lee High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade, located in Fort Lee, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the F ...
, where he played
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
and
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
, 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 Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
, and he walked on to the
Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball The Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team represents Rutgers University–New Brunswick, Rutgers University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition and competes in the Big Ten Conference. Rutgers made the NCAA Final Four in 1976 ...
team. He earned his bachelor's degree from Rutgers. Sokolich earned a
juris doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
from
Seton Hall University School of Law Seton Hall University School of Law is the law school of Seton Hall University, and is located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Seton Hall Law is the only private law school in New Jersey. The school confers three law degrees: Juris Doctor, Ma ...
, which he attended at the same time as
Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...
.


Career

Sokolich worked in a few
law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...
s, before forming his own, Sokolich & Macri, in 1998, of which he serves as the
managing partner A partner in a law firm, accounting firm, consulting firm, or financial firm is a highly ranked position, traditionally indicating co-ownership of a partnership in which the partners were entitled to a share of the profits as " equity partners" ...
. He is also a director of ConnectOne Bank. Sokolich served on the Fort Lee
City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
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. Sokolich has served as the mayor of Fort Lee since 2008, making him one of the longest-serving mayors in the town’s history When
Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...
ran for
re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be a ...
in 2013, Sokolich did not endorse him, despite many other Democrats across the state doing so. It was alleged 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 The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ) is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate c ...
to reallocate two of the customary three toll lanes from Fort Lee to the
George Washington Bridge The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee in Bergen County, New Jersey, with the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is named after George W ...
, causing massive
gridlock Gridlock is a form of traffic congestion where continuous queues of vehicles block an entire network of intersecting streets, bringing traffic in all directions to a complete standstill. The term originates from a situation possible in a grid ...
. The scandal, which was revealed after Christie won the election, helped cause a significant drop in Christie's popularity.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sokolich, Mark 1963 births Living people American people of Croatian descent Mayors of places in New Jersey New Jersey city council members New Jersey Democrats Lawyers from Bergen County, New Jersey People from Fort Lee, New Jersey Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball players Seton Hall University alumni Rutgers University alumni American men's basketball players Fort Lee High School alumni 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century mayors of places in New Jersey 20th-century American sportsmen