The mayor of Fort Lee is Mark J. Sokolich, a Democrat first elected in 2008 and now serving his fifth consecutive four-year term, which began on January 6, 2023.1U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer. PHOTO RELEASE: Gottheimer Swears in Fort Lee, NJ Mayor Mark Sokolich He is the longest-serving mayor in the borough’s history, leading a community of roughly 39,000 residents on the Palisades at the western approach to the George Washington Bridge.
Background of the Current Mayor
Sokolich earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science with honors from Rutgers University in 1985 and a law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1989.2Fort Lee Borough, NJ. Mayor Mark J. Sokolich He practices law privately, concentrating on civil litigation and real estate. His fifth-term swearing-in was administered by U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer.1U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer. PHOTO RELEASE: Gottheimer Swears in Fort Lee, NJ Mayor Mark Sokolich
What the Fort Lee Mayor Can Do
Fort Lee runs under New Jersey’s borough form of government, set out in Title 40A of the state statutes. The mayor heads the municipal government and presides over Borough Council meetings.3Justia Law. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 40A:60-5 – Powers of the Mayor The council has six members, and the mayor’s authority is a mix of executive power and a legislative check.
Voting and Vetoes
The mayor does not vote on ordinances in the ordinary course. The only vote the mayor casts at council is to break a tie.3Justia Law. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 40A:60-5 – Powers of the Mayor
The real legislative power is the veto. Every ordinance passed by the council goes to the mayor within five days. The mayor then has ten days, Sundays excluded, to sign it or return it with written objections. The council can override, but it takes a two-thirds vote of all members, not just those present. The mayor also has line-item veto authority, so a multi-section ordinance can be partially approved and partially rejected.3Justia Law. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 40A:60-5 – Powers of the Mayor
Appointments and Enforcement
The mayor nominates subordinate borough officers and appoints them with the advice and consent of the council. If the council does not confirm a nomination within 30 days, the appointment power shifts to the council, which still needs at least three affirmative votes to act.4Justia Law. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 40A:60-6 – Powers of the Council The mayor is also responsible for seeing that state laws and borough ordinances are enforced and can recommend new measures to the council.3Justia Law. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 40A:60-5 – Powers of the Mayor When the mayor is absent, the council president presides.
How the Office Is Filled
The Fort Lee mayor is elected at-large to a four-year term at the November general election.5New Jersey League of Municipalities. Forms of Government: Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask Borough races in New Jersey are partisan, with party affiliations on the ballot. The six council seats are staggered on three-year terms, so the mayor and the full council are never up in the same cycle.
New Jersey does not cap how many terms a borough mayor can serve, which is why Sokolich has been able to win five in a row. The practical limit is the electorate. Candidates for municipal office must be registered voters and residents of the borough; the specific residency duration depends on the form of government the municipality uses.
Record in Office
The largest project of Sokolich’s tenure is Hudson Lights, a roughly billion-dollar mixed-use redevelopment on a 16-acre downtown parcel that had sat vacant for about 45 years. He also oversaw the development of The Modern, two 47-story residential towers built by SJP Properties, and a new municipal parking garage. Smaller initiatives under his administration include affordable housing, the conversion of a historic building into a veterans’ home, a downtown Business District Alliance, community gardens, a spray park, a dog park, a 9/11 memorial, and free Wi-Fi in select parks.2Fort Lee Borough, NJ. Mayor Mark J. Sokolich
Sokolich was also the target of the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane-closure scheme, in which Port Authority officials shut local access lanes from September 9 through 13 to punish him for declining to endorse Governor Chris Christie’s reelection. He was not accused of wrongdoing; two Christie associates were charged by the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey in May 2015, and the case eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020.
Contacting the Mayor’s Office
Fort Lee Borough Hall is at 309 Main Street, Fort Lee, NJ 07024. The main phone number is 201-592-3500. Correspondence and meeting requests are generally routed through the municipal clerk, and the borough’s website at fortleenj.org lists upcoming public meetings and additional contact options.