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Mayor de Blasio Appoints Jonathan Soto as Senior Community Liaison in Community Affairs Unit

July 17, 2015

NEW YORK— Mayor de Blasio today appointed Jonathan Soto as a Senior Community Liaison in the Community Affairs Unit. In this role, Soto will assist City Hall on issues related to faith communities and the newly formed Clergy Advisory Council, helping the Council in its outreach and community engagement work and fostering relationships with communities of faith across New York City.

“Clergy leaders and communities of faith are essential to the lives of so many New Yorkers, and it’s critical that City Hall maintains a close and direct relationship with them to ensure City policy and services reflect the needs of the community. That’s why we created the Clergy Advisory Council, and why we have brought Jonathan on board to facilitate our engagement with religious communities in all five boroughs. A seasoned and inspired community leader and activist, I’m confident that Jonathan will bring us closer to communities of faith to ensure that New Yorkers can provide essential feedback and benefit from what our city has to offer,” said Mayor de Blasio.

“New York City’s diverse religious communities have been strong partners in our work on issues from pre-K and affordable housing, to sustainability and strengthening relationships between police and the communities they serve,” said Marco Carrión, Commissioner of the Community Affairs Unit. “I am pleased Jonathan Soto will use his valuable experience to deepen and expand our outreach and strengthen ties with communities of faith citywide.”

“I am honored to have the opportunity to work with diverse faith leaders and communities, as well as partners citywide on crucial issues for our city,” said Senior Community Liaison Jonathan Soto. “I look forward to working with the new Clergy Advisory Council to build an important and effective bridge between city government and residents.”

In his role as ­­­­Senior Community Liaison, Soto will bring organizing and advocacy experience to strengthen the Clergy Advisory Council’s mission of engaging communities of faith in the formation of City policy and administration of City services. The Clergy Advisory Council, comprised of a diverse set of local faith leaders from all five boroughs, was created last month to open a direct line of communication between religious leaders and City Hall. Soto will help facilitate the Council’s community engagement, work to grow participation in City initiatives, and expand communication between government and faith communities.

About Jonathan Soto

Jonathan Soto is an experienced activist and leader committed to inclusivity and progress for communities throughout New York City, and particularly communities of faith. He has served as Borough Director for the Bronx Long Term Recovery Group, dedicated to physical and economic rehabilitation of communities affected by Hurricane Sandy, and partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Soto has also served as Policy Director for the Bronx Clergy Roundtable, where he helped communities of faith with various organizing efforts and youth mentoring programs. Soto is a graduate of Fordham University and will receive his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 2016.

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