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Jersey City Municipal Government Councilman-at-Large Mariano Vega, Jr.

Jersey City Councilman Mariano Vega, born in the rain forest of Puerto Rico, has lived in Jersey City for over 50 years. He resides with his wife Sonia Zayas, an Occupational Therapist, and their three children in the Van Vorst Historic District of the Downtown area.

Government Innovator
Mariano is the Director of the Hudson County Department of Public Resources where he has been the policy advocate for open green space, alternate fuel vehicles, solar & renewable energy, and restoration of the historic Brennan Court House.  

Higher Education Promoter
Mariano worked in higher education for 14 years providing equal opportunity to higher education for minority students at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and Montclair State University. Mariano has been an adjunct professor of Sociology at Essex County Community College, and has had numerous publications and presented conference papers to national and state organizations.  

Welfare Reformer
Equally known and widely respect for his success at reforming New Jersey's second largest welfare agency, Mariano is a formidable policy advocate for poor families, the homeless, the hungry, working women with children and children with special needs. Mariano succeeded in providing employment opportunities for more than 6,000 former welfare recipients.

Board of Education Innovator
Equally known for passion for changing the status quo, Mariano has served on that, the state appointed Jersey City Board of Education for six years, where his peers elected him Chairman of the Board of Education. He is known as a fierce advocate for special education, early childhood education, and a proponent of bringing social services for the schools.  

Jersey City Councilman
Having served as Councilman for the Downtown Waterfront (Ward E), Mariano is currently a Councilman At-Large. His interest in arts has won him support among the artists, friends of the Lowe's Theater, and the Jersey City Museum. As an open green space advocate, Mariano has ushered the east coast greenway into the hearts of Jersey City residents. As a former chairman of the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation, Mariano promoted economic development from Downtown to Martin Luther King Drive.  

In addition, Mariano serves on the Jersey City Medical Center Board of Trustees, and represents Mayor Healy on the North Jersey Transportation Planning Association.  

Educational Background
Mariano received a Master of Arts degree in Human Services in 1977 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 1972, both from Montclair State University.  

Additional Activities
Mariano founded the International Recreation and Educational Exchange Program and sponsored soccer training in Brazil for sixteen inner city children. Furthermore, he hosted a delegation from South America during February 2001.  

Mariano is an avid skier and has introduced skiing, through the Vega Ski Clinic, to many inner city youths. In addition, Mariano is an advanced certified scuba diver, and he enjoys biking, bird watching and photography.

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