Jeffery (Jay) Young Jr. (born 1986) is a Democratic politician and member of the City Council of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2023, he was elected to represent the Fifth District which extends from the western side of Center City up though North Philadelphia to Temple University's campus and then up to Hunting Park.
Jeffery Young Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Philadelphia City Council from the 5th District | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Darrell Clarke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1986 (age 37–38) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Attorney |
Early life and education
editYoung attended high school at Girard College. Needing an internship to graduate, he found three opportunities in city government working in City Councilmember Darrell L. Clarke’s and Blondell Reynolds Brown’s offices, and the Managing Director's Office during Mayor John Street’s administration.[1]
Young earned a B.A. from Temple University and during college had internships with Mayor Michael Nutter and Councilmember Curtis J. Jones Jr. He attended Rutgers Law School graduating with a JD in 2012. During this time he interned with U.S. Senator Bob Casey's Washington office, the Philadelphia Register of Wills Office, and Community Legal Services.[1]
Career
editYoung passed the bar exam in 2013 and joined Clarke's Council office as an attorney until 2019. During his time in Clarke's office he gained experience in legal matters related to development.[1] While there he was involved in a contentious deal where city-owned properties near Temple University were sold to a developer for $125,000 below the appraised value.[2] In 2019 he joined the Legis Group, specializing in real estate, government affairs and business law.[3]
Young started gathering signatures to appear on the May 2023 primary ballot for the Philadelphia City Council 5th District race before Clarke announced he wouldn't seek reelection.[4] Meanwhile, six potential challengers only began collecting signatures after Clarke's retirement announcement but were disqualified from running due to problems with their nominating petitions, as they had less than two weeks to gather signatures.[4][5] Although Young's petitions were also questioned, with all other candidates disqualified, the lawyer for one of his disqualified opponents chose not to pursue the issue, leaving Young as the sole candidate on the primary ballot.[6] During the primary it came to light that Young posted some offensive tweets about women, Asians, and other groups when he was in his mid-twenties, which he attributed to his youth.[4] He went on to win primary and ran unopposed in the general election which he also won.[3]
Legislative focus and positions
editYoung is a proponent of councilmanic prerogative, the unwritten rule that district council members have final say over all manner of land use decisions within their district, because it helps prevent unwanted development in neighborhoods.[1] He is a frequent opponent of housing developments in his district. Soon after taking office he announced plans to pursue a lawsuit initiated by former City Council President Darrell L. Clarke against the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA), contending that the board unlawfully granted a variance for a proposed apartment building on North Broad Street.[7]
Regarding climate change issues, Young said that natural gas can help fuel the economy until clean energy becomes more widely available. As of 2024 he does not support a ban on natural gas hookups in new construction but is open to it in the future.[8] He said the city should incentivize more Philadelphians to use SEPTA through tax credits or other benefits, emphasizing the need to equip the public transit system with the infrastructure required to support a low-emission future.[8]
Young has identified his top priorities as reducing gun violence, improving educational outcomes, increasing investment in youth, reforming public safety institutions, creating economic opportunities, and promoting sustainable and equitable development.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Brennan, Chris; Briggs, Ryan W. (April 20, 2023). "How Jay Young rose from a high-school intern in City Hall to a lawyer poised to succeed Darrell Clarke on Philadelphia City Council". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ Bender, William (May 9, 2019). "'These properties ... are mine to buy!' Emails show confusion, backroom deal-making in North Philly public land sale". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ a b c Platt, Julie (November 8, 2023). "Who Won in Philadelphia". thephiladelphiacitizen.org.
- ^ a b c Briggs, Ryan W.; Collins Walsh, Sean; Brennan, Chris (April 20, 2023). "City Council candidate Jeffery 'Jay' Young has a history of offensive social media posts". The Philadelphia Inquirer. ProQuest 2803832509.
- ^ Brennan, Chris (March 23, 2023). "Seven Democrats tried to replace Darrell Clarke on City Council. Only one made the ballot". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ Levy, Jordan (May 8, 2023). "A write-in candidate is trying to disrupt North Philly's District 5 election, where one name is on the ballot to succeed Darrell Clarke". billypenn.com. WHYY-FM § Billy Penn.
- ^ Blumgart, Jake (March 20, 2024). "New Council member is continuing fight over height and density of development in North Philly". The Philadelphia Inquirer. ProQuest 2942084203.
- ^ a b Schmidt, Sophia (January 1, 2024). "How Philly's 4 new City Council members plan to address trash, transit, and trees". WHYY.