Jake Wheatley
Jake Wheatley | |
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Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 19th district | |
In office January 7, 2003 – January 31, 2022 | |
Preceded by | William Russell Robinson |
Succeeded by | Aerion Abney |
Personal details | |
Born | December 23, 1971 |
Political party | Democratic |
Residence(s) | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
Alma mater | North Carolina A&T State University (BA) University of Pittsburgh (MPA) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Years of service | 1989 — 1992 |
Battles/wars | Gulf War |
Awards | |
Jake Wheatley Jr. is an American politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 19th district, covering the Hill District, North Side, South Side, Allentown, Hazelwood, Downtown Pittsburgh, The Bluff, Knoxville, Beltzhoover, Manchester, Arlington, Arlington Heights, and North, South and West Oakland.
Early life and education
[edit]Wheatley graduated with a bachelor's degree in Political Science from North Carolina A&T State University and the University of Pittsburgh with a Masters in Public Administration.
As a member of the United States Marine Corps, Wheatley served in Operation Desert Storm. He was awarded with the Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal and Southwest Asia Service Medal.
Career
[edit]From 1998 to 2000, Wheatley served as executive assistant to Sala Udin, a member of the Pittsburgh City Council. In 2002, Wheatley ran for the 19th Legislative District Allegheny County. Seven-term incumbent Bill Robinson tried to derail the Wheatley campaign by revealing a 'youthful indiscretion' that was later expunged from Wheatley's record. In 2012, Wheatley was arrested on charges of simple assault related to an altercation with his fiancée over childcare expenses.[1] The charges were later withdrawn and Wheatley apologized to his constituents.
Wheatley currently serves as the Majority Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education (and is only the second first-term legislator to serve on that committee) as well as the majority Chairman of the Health and Human Services Subcommittee on Health. In addition, he serves as a member of the Education and Transportation committees, Vice Chair for the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus and as the Vice Chair for the Democratic Policy Committee. He also serves as a Deputy Majority Whip for the House Democratic Caucus. Wheatley is a member of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus.[2]
Wheatley entered the race for the Democratic nomination for Mayor of Pittsburgh in the 2013 election in early March of that year,[3] but lost the primary election, coming in third behind winner Bill Peduto and runner-up Jack Wagner.[4]
Wheatley became Chief of Staff for Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey in February 2022.[5]
Committee assignments
[edit]- Professional Licensure, Democratic Chair[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "State Rep. Jake Wheatley Apologizes to Constituents". 10 May 2012.
- ^ "Members List". Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- ^ "With Luke Ravenstahl out, more candidates jump into Pittsburgh mayoral race". WTAE Pittsburgh. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ^ Magee, Bryan (22 May 2013). "Peduto Wins Pittsburgh Mayor Primary". PoliticsPA. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ^ Potter, Chris; Worthy, Ariel (4 Jan 2022). "Gainey starts naming cabinet — Jake Pawlak as deputy mayor, Jake Wheatley as chief of staff". 90.5 WESA.
- ^ "Representative Jake Wheatley Jr". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
External links
[edit]- Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Jake Wheatley official PA House website
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Follow the Money - Jake Wheatley
- Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus - Rep. Jake Wheatley official Party website
- Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- Living people
- African-American state legislators in Pennsylvania
- Politicians from Pittsburgh
- North Carolina A&T State University alumni
- University of Pittsburgh alumni
- 21st-century American legislators
- 1971 births
- 21st-century African-American politicians
- 20th-century African-American politicians
- 21st-century Pennsylvania politicians
- Pennsylvania politician stubs