Julio Marenco

Julio Marenco is an American attorney and Democratic Party politician serving as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly for the 33rd legislative district, having taken office on January 9, 2024.

Julio Marenco
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 33rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 9, 2024 Serving with Gabe Rodriguez
Preceded by	Annette Chaparro Raj Mukherji
Personal details
Political party	Democratic
Education	Montclair State University Seton Hall University School of Law Fairleigh Dickinson University
Website	Legislative webpage

Biography

Raised in Union City, New Jersey, Marenco served on nuclear submarines in the United States Navy from 1990 to 1994. He earned his undergraduate degree at Montclair State University, a Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and a master's degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University.^[1]

Elective office

As a resident of North Bergen and at the suggestion of Nicholas Sacco, he ran for and won a seat as a trustee on the board of education of the North Bergen School District, serving from 2002 to 2015 and ultimately being chosen as board president, In 2015, he ran with Sacco on a majority Latino slate as a commissioner in North Bergen, serving from 2015 to 2023.^[2] He served from 2010 to 2024 on the New Jersey State Parole Board.^[1][3]

In the wake of the 2021 apportionment, the reconfiguration of municipalities in the 33rd and 33rd districts and the incumbent Assembly members in those districts choosing to retire or run for other elective office, the Hudson County Democratic Organization chose newcomers Marenco and Gabe Rodriguez to run for the two Assembly seats.^[4] Marenco and Ramirez defeated independent candidate Lea Sherman, the only other candidate running in the 2023 New Jersey General Assembly election.^[5][6] Marenco was one of 27 members elected for the first time in 2023 to serve in the General Assembly, more than one-third of the seats.^[7]

Committees

Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:^[1]

• Public Safety and Preparedness
• Science, Innovation and Technology
• Telecommunications and Utilities

District 33

Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly.^[8] The representatives from the 33rd District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:^[9]

• Senator Brian P. Stack (D)
• Assemblyman Julio Marenco (D)
• Assemblywoman Gabe Rodriguez (D)

Electoral history

33rd Legislative District General Election, 2023^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gabe Rodriguez	25,384	49.3
	Democratic	Julio Marenco	24,956	48.5
	Socialist Workers	Lea Sherman	1,121	2.2
Total votes			51,461	100.0
	Democratic hold
	Democratic hold

References

1. Assemblyman Julio Marenco (D), New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 26, 2024.
2. Bonamo, Mark. "Marenco named North Bergen commissioner candidate, creating majority Latino slate", New York Observer, February 9, 2015. Accessed January 11, 2024. "North Bergen Board of Education President Julio Marenco was named to the commissioner slate headed by North Bergen Mayor and state Senator Nicholas Sacco (D-32) on Monday."
3. Van Vliet, John. "Meet Marenco: An LD33 InsiderNJ Profile", NJ Insider, February 7, 2023. Accessed January 10, 2024. "Marenco grew up in Union City and is a navy veteran, having served on nuclear submarines for four years.... With an opening on the Board of Education, Marenco said that Sacco suggested he run.... In 2015, Marenco was asked to join Sacco’s ticket and run for North Bergen Commissioner."
4. Fox, Joey. "Mejia at last confirms he won’t run for re-election", New Jersey Globe, January 17, 2023. Accessed January 10, 2024. "Mejia added that he intends on “fully supporting” the Hudson Democratic slate in the new 33rd district, which consists of State Sen. Brian Stack (D-Union City), West New York Mayor Gabe Rodriguez, and North Bergen Commissioner Julio Marenco; Marenco will take what is essentially Mejia’s current seat..... The neighboring 33rd district will also send two new faces to the Assembly, with Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-Jersey City) running for the Senate and Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro (D-Hoboken) stepping down after losing party support."
5. Connolly, Julio. "NJ election results 2023: State Senate, Assembly seats decided", The Record, November 9, 2023. Accessed December 23, 2023.
6. Official List Candidates for General Assembly for General Election November 7, 2023, New Jersey Department of State, December 6, 2023. Accessed December 23, 2023.
7. Wildstein, David. "37 new lawmakers take office at noon", New Jersey Globe, January 9, 2024. Accessed January 9, 2024. "The 221st New Jersey Legislature begins today, with 37 new lawmakers – nearly one-third of the legislature – being sworn in at noon. That number includes ten new Senators and 27 new members of the General Assembly."
8. New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
9. Legislative Roster for District 33, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 26, 2024.
10. "Candidates for General Assembly - For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2023 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. Retrieved December 6, 2023.