Candidate for
State Representative; District 27; Democratic Party

John Paul is the 3rd of four children born to Harold and Donna Jones, lifelong residents of Sheraden. Like all members of his family, John is a graduate of Langley High School.

John Paul is a committed Democrat and public servant. He resides with his wife Yasmin and son Joseph in the Westwood neighborhood of the 27th District.

John has a unique blend of experience that will make him an excellent Representative in the General Assembly. For the last three years, John worked for the Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) which is responsible for the real estate, construction and purchasing activities of the state government. For two of those years, he was the legislative director for DGS solely responsible for the Department's interaction with the General Assembly. In his last year with DGS, John coordinated the Department's operations in Western Pennsylvania, including oversight of the design of the new Penguins Arena and the sale of the State Office Building.

At DGS, John has worked extensively with small businesses educating them on how to do business with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He has also worked closely with local governments, school districts, non-profits and volunteer emergency services companies to help them save money using state programs.

Prior to working for DGS, John was a staff attorney for 11 years for the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), the state's largest school employee union. With PSEA, John represented over 7000 school employees in 66 local unions in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

John earned his business degree with honors from Carnegie Mellon University and worked for four years in the information systems field before attending law school at the University of Pittsburgh where he also graduated with honors.

John is active in the community, currently serving on the board of his homeowner's association and as a member of the Sheraden Kiwanis.

John brings a unique blend of business and union; public and private sector; community and economic development to this democratic primary. He is committed to revitalizing the 27th District and has the experience to bring together the resources to do so.

John will be an advocate for property tax relief and access to affordable health care for all. He will also work to clean and protect the environment by promoting the use of alternative energy sources and green technologies. John's goals for tax relief, health care and the environment will complement his push for community and economic development in the 27th District and in Pennsylvania.

John comes from a family accustomed to hard work and public service. There are many firefighters in his family, along with steamfitters and roofers (the family business). There are also 2 generations of navy servicemen. John believes in bringing this ethos of hard work and public service to the citizens of the 27th District.