Jersey City Councilwoman Mary Spinello sat in on her last council meeting Wednesday night when she announced she was stepping down effective March 31 to become the new executive director of the Jersey City Parking Authority starting the following day.
Spinello, 41, was named the new executive director by a vote of the Parking Authority Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.
Spinello served Jersey City’s Ward B, covering the western part of the city since July 2005.
Spinello was feted with warm testimonials by her fellow council members and received a bouquet of flowers before the council meeting ended.
After the meeting, Spinello said she first heard she was being considered as the new executive director about six weeks ago when Mayor Jerramiah Healy called her into his office for discussions about being a replacement for outgoing director Mark Russ, who did not have his contract renewed in November and was in a holdover capacity.
“I thought it would be a great opportunity and a great challenge,” Spinello said. “I am looking to hit the ground running and move the [P arking] Authority forward.”
Spinello, like Russ and other previous Parking Authority directors, does not have experience working in the Parking Authority.
But she cites her experience working on parking issues as a city councilwoman and as a deputy executive director at the Jersey City Incinerator
Authority for the past six years as her qualifications for the new job. Spinello will be making $98,000 in her new post, a $14,000 increase from her previous position.
Spinello said one of her priorities will be to create more parking, specifically more public parking decks. —Ricardo Kaulessar
Spinello new executive director of Parking Authority
