Mark Treyger

Mark Treyger, one of two children, was born in Brooklyn, NY on April 15, 1982, making him the first in his family to be born in the United States. His parents, Naum and Tatyana, and his sister, Elina, were born in Ukraine. He grew up and was raised in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. He attended and graduated from P.S. 226, Edward R. Murrow High School, and Brooklyn College (B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in Social Studies Education). Looking to build upon his education credentials, Mark went on to earn a second Masters Degree from Brooklyn College in School Leadership in 2012 as a member of the distinguished Federal Education Leadership Fellows (FELF) program. With a love for history and public service, Mark became determined to get involved in his community and make a difference. With the guidance of his college professor and inspiration from his father, he began an internship for Assemblyman William Colton in 2001. It was Assemblyman Colton who fully briefed Mark on what it meant to be involved in public service and the great responsibilities and joys associated with serving the public. In 2003, at the age of 21, Mark became the youngest president ever of the United Progressive Democratic Club (UPDC) in Bensonhurst. The UPDC has a rich history of hosting prominent elected officials and active community involvement for close to 90 years. Mark’s list of community service accomplishments includes: working with Assemblyman Colton to create a website exposing New York’s worst tax cheats to help the state collect billions of dollars in delinquent revenue; leading the effort to expose and end the city’s muni-meter scheme; helping lead the fight to turn around Lafayette High School to create a safe learning environment; leading the fight to restore B64 bus service in southwest Brooklyn; helping teens from local schools land summer jobs as lifeguards on Coney Island beaches; forming STRONG (Sandy Task-Force Recovery Organized by Neighborhood Groups) to help spearhead the fight against the opening of a dangerous garbage station in Southwest Brooklyn and fight for federal recovery dollars to improve Coney Island and Sea Gate’s sewer system, beaches, and other vital infrastructure; helping organize local teens to participate in ongoing neighborhood cleanup campaigns; providing assistance to tenants to inform them of their housing rights; and overseeing the emergence of the United Progressive Democratic Club as one of the strongest grassroots organizations in the city. In 2005, Mark decided to follow in the footsteps of his father and became a teacher in New Utrecht High School where he taught World History, Government, and Economics for eight years. Mark has also took an active role in the United Federation of Teachers as a union delegate and staff developer and serves on the school Leadership Team to provide educators, parents, and children a greater voice in making important educational decisions. Driven by his desire to do even more for the community that had given he and his family so much, Mark decided to seek the Democratic nomination for City Council from the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Gravesend and Sea Gate. Mark scored a decisive victory, earning 46 percent of the vote in a competitive Democratic primary and 71 percent in November’s general election. It is Mark’s strong belief in faith, family, and serving others that drive him to continue to make a greater positive difference in his community. He lives in Bensonhurst with his beautiful wife, Christine, who is also an educator, and their two rescue dogs.