Mariano to City Council: Ex-cons feel boxed in

Sporting an electronic monitoring device on his ankle, former Councilman Rick Mariano returned to City Council yesterday for the first time since serving a four-year prison sentence.

He was there to testify before the Committee on Public Safety in favor of the "Ban the Box" legislation that would restrict employers' ability to ask applicants about their criminal records.

"I have a unique perspective on this bill, being once a part of this body and being a felon," said Mariano, who was convicted of taking bribes while in office to pay off credit-card bills.

"I've met presidents of the United States . . . and even I can't find a job," he said. "We joke about working at McDonald's, but believe me I would have loved to work at McDonald's."

Mariano was one of dozens who testified, and he urged other ex-cons to draw inspiration from a somewhat unlikely source.

"Everyone was down on [Michael Vick] until he started winning, and then people start liking him," said Mariano, who went as far as calling Vick his hero. "Give us a chance to win, too."

Winning in the game of life often seems impossible for formerly incarcerated people like Reuben Jones, who served nearly 20 years behind bars.

Jones, who earned a bachelor's degree before entering prison, was rejected from a job cleaning portable toilets after his release in 2005. The reason? The box that asks applicants if they've ever been convicted of a felony.

"I fell into a deep depression," he said. "I was out of prison, but I felt incarcerated mentally just because I checked the box."

The rejection inspired him to get his master's degree, but Jones, who founded a fatherhood-support program called Frontline Dads, still struggles with life after lockdown.

"You're told you're not worthy of [a job] - that you're not worthy to provide for your family," he said.

Councilman William Greenlee said Jones was the perfect example of how the bill could help ex-cons get a foot in the door.

The bill, proposed by Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller, would help ex-cons by removing the box on applications, but Council members emphasized that it will not interfere with employers' ability to ask about criminal records.

It would prohibit inquiries about criminal background before the first interview to encourage employers to get to know applicants before considering their record.

"Ex-offenders are not asking for a handout or special consideration, and this bill does not provide for that," said Everett Gillison, deputy mayor of public safety. "All that is desired is that ex-offenders be given a real opportunity to compete . . . not scare off a prospective employer merely because a box on the application was checked off."

After hearing nearly four hours of testimony, the committee unanimously approved the bill and sent it to the full Council for consideration. Miller is confident that it will pass by next week.

"I believe we have the support," she said.