School No. 1 Fifth Graders Treated to Visit From Mayor

Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich visited Tuesday to speak with three classes of fifth-graders about local government and what it’s like to be mayor.

Visiting schools and talking to students is nothing new for Sokolich; he does it regularly and tries to get to all of Fort Lee’s schools. But the visit gave a group of students who are just starting to learn about government and politics the chance to ask their own mayor questions and learn a little more him, both as a person and as a politician.

“We’ve been doing this for the last few years, and each year, the children really do love it,” said fifth grade teacher Barrie Kulak, adding that Sokolich appears enjoy it as well.

Kulak said Jonathan Reinsdorf, a student teacher from Montclair State currently working at School No. 1, gave the kids a preview lesson on how the Fort Lee government works, “so they’ve had a little bit of an introduction before he comes.”

“We talked about the job of mayor, the council and the separate entities with which the mayor is involved,” Reinsdorf said. “They do have some idea, and in turn they each have index cards with specific questions that we went over. They came up with the them themselves, but they’re appropriate, kind of open-ended questions.”

Social Studies teacher Anna-Maria Pillari added, “They start with the branches of government in the beginning of fifth grade so they have an understanding of how the government works.”

Sokolich began his remarks to the fifth graders by telling them that he was born and raised in Fort Lee, and that he attended School No. 4 and the middle school before graduating from Fort Lee High School in 1981.

Among the topics he discussed in his introduction that really got the students’ attention was what he called his “next project:” a dog park.

“We don’t have a dog park in Fort Lee so I thought a while ago it would be a great idea if I could find the right spot, that we could build a dog park,” Sokolich told the kids. “And it’s going to be pretty cool because we’re going to have sprinklers, and we’re going to have a small area for small dogs and a bigger area for big dogs.”

When he asked the kids if they thought the dog park was “a good idea,” he got a resounding “Yes!” in unison.

Sokolich said the best part of his job is “helping people.”

“I meet with people, and I deal with their problems,” he said. “Believe it or not that’s the best part of the job … some are really, really, really big problems and other ones are small ones … You’ll see that you reach a point in life where you really enjoy giving. It makes you feel really, really good. That’s why I do this job, and that’s why I enjoy this because I try to give folks as much as I can.”

Then came question and answer time for which Sokolich stayed in the school’s gymnasium for as long as it took to field every question:

• If you get elected, how are you going to improve people’s lives?
• What is the difference between mayor and president?
• Why do taxes go up?
• How did you become interested in politics?
• Do you have to be born in America to be mayor?
• Why do you want to be mayor?
• Are you planning to fix up the schools?
• Why do you feel you are suited to be mayor?
• What is the hardest job as mayor?
• When you were young, did you want to become mayor?
• Who or what inspired you to be mayor?
• What do you plan to do if you’re elected to a new term?
• If you get re-elected, will you improve our parks?
• What are your responsibilities?
• If you get re-elected, what do you plan to do for kids?
• What happens if you don’t get re-elected?
• What goals have you achieved as mayor?
• How long can you stay as mayor?
• What did you do or say to become mayor?
• Do you work all day, and when you have free time, what do you do?
• Why doesn’t Fort Lee have a swimming pool?
• What’s the easiest part of being mayor?
• What do you plan on doing with Redevelopment 5?
• Why do you want to be re-elected?
• Can you try to pave a road for bikers?
• How many terms do you plan to serve?
• What’s the most important thing you’ve done as mayor?
• Why don’t we have fireworks anymore?
• Do you have to pay taxes?
• Is being mayor fun?

Sokolich ended his visit to School No. 1—as he usually does—by giving out special orange pencils inscribed with his name and signed “deputy mayor” cards, which read:

“The bearer of this card has personally committed to Mayor Mark Sokolich to abide by the laws of the Borough of Fort Lee, has vowed to be an honest and responsible citizen and has agreed to respect their family, friends, and to be kind to everyone.”

“So if you’re willing to abide by that oath, you get the card,” Sokolich told the students.

Before departing, Sokolich also told the kids to email him a list of stores they’d like to see at Redevelopment Area 5—a topic that came up several times during the Q&A session—telling them that he couldn’t make any promises, but that he wanted to know what they would like to see there.