Biography
Ward D Councilman Yousef J. Saleh is a loyal son of Jersey City, born and raised in the Heights. He comes from a Palestinian family of immigrants that came to Jersey City to pursue the American Dream. Growing up, he attended Saint John's Head Start and P.S. 28 School in the Heights. He is a graduate of McNair Academic High School, where he was the president of the student government and the student representative to the Jersey City Board of Education for the entire 30,000 student district.
Yousef attended Rutgers University where he was the first democratically-elected student body president for all five campuses. He was a Founding Father for the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, a radio DJ, Community Service Officer for the Rutgers Police Department, and was inducted into the Cap and Skull Honor Society. He then attended Rutgers Law School for his Juris Doctorate, where he was President of the Student Bar Association and the commencement speaker for his graduating class. Yousef has 7 sisters, one of whom has Down Syndrome – which is why he is such a strong vocal advocate for families with children who have special needs.
Previously, Yousef worked in the Jersey City Law Department, and has familiarity with municipal government, and he worked at the Federal Tax Clinic at Rutgers Law School. Over the years, Yousef has been involved with countless community groups in the Heights, advocating for good government and in 2017 he ran for the Board of Education as an independent candidate, garnering 9,433 votes citywide. He has been a volunteer and was Treasurer for the Riverview Farmers' Market and helps organize the annual Ramadan Iftar in City Hall Plaza.
Councilman Saleh is committed to working hard for the residents and families of Ward D and the residents of Jersey City.