"I am preparing to run for Councilman for the 13th District because I feel it is a natural extension of my life's work. Public service has been my life. I love helping people and surrounding myself with great people. This is why I continue to live in Throggs Neck with my family. I want to do everything in my power to keep the 13th District vibrant for all families to live for years to come. 

  My life in public service began after working for my parents . My first task was to sweep the sidewalks in front of the store, making sure we did our share to keep our neighborhood clean. It taught me to take pride in our neighborhood.
  I knew public service was my calling when, I entered the New York City Police Academy at a young age of 20. In May 1998, I decided to service our great city in a different capacity.  I became a NYC firefighter until my retirement. I continued to serve as a public servant when I was appointed as a volunteer to Community Board 10.  It allowed me to work very closely with adjoining community boards and the leaders that represent NYC agencies. It also allowed me build a close working relationship with our elected officials. These leaders taught me how important it is to listen to your constituents and look out for your neighborhoods best interests. 
   If I'm fortunate enough to be elected as Councilman in November 2017 , I will work very closely with my colleagues. I will tackle many issues that our city and local neighborhoods come up against. Many local issues that I have worked on the Community Board level, I will continue to fight for in the City Council. 
   Some of the goals that I will work hard on, but not limited to, would be working with the NYPD. Quality of life does matter, we need more police officers assigned to our precincts, PSA (Housing) and Transit units. I will fight to hire more police officers, and bring them to our neighborhoods in the Bronx. The residents of NYCHA deserve to live in a safe and clean environment.  The building's infrastructure, apartments, and elevators need to be inspected on a regular basis. The issues need to be corrected in a timely manner. I will work closely with our seniors and pay special attention to their needs. We need to look at our local zoning issues.  We can grow with the times without changing our neighborhood appeal. 

  We need to create more promising jobs so we can continue to close the unemployment gap. With proper training we can teach more unskilled workers. By doing this we can help under paid workers to help raise their families. Lets not forget The American dream!! 
   We need to create a system that allows all city agencies to communicate and work with each other. There are to many times that issues fall between the cracks. Most of the time it involves our children. 
  The people of NYC need to be united again and it is up to our leaders to create that atmosphere.  We cannot have people with negative agendas corrupt our children minds. We all need to take responsibility for our actions. 

    I know how great our City is and can be.  I was able to see first hand people of all backgrounds from all parts of our city coming together after September 11th.  As a fireman who spent many days down at Ground Zero, our City knows how to come together as one. I hope to continue that tradition as your Councilman."    

Thank you
John Marano