Jake Wheatley

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.

Jake Wheatley
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 19th district
In office
January 7, 2003 – January 31, 2022
Preceded byWilliam Russell Robinson
Succeeded byAerion Abney
Personal details
Born (1971-12-23) December 23, 1971
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Alma materNorth Carolina A&T State University (BA)
University of Pittsburgh (MPA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Marine Corps
Years of service1989 — 1992
Battles/warsGulf War
Awards

Early life and education

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

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charges of simple assault related to an altercation with his fiancée over childcare expenses.[1] The charges were later withdrawn and Wheatley apologized to his constituents.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
  • Professional Licensure, Democratic Chair[6]

References
  1. "State Rep. Jake Wheatley Apologizes to Constituents". 10 May 2012.
  2. "Members List". Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  3. "With Luke Ravenstahl out, more candidates jump into Pittsburgh mayoral race". WTAE Pittsburgh. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  4. Magee, Bryan (22 May 2013). "Peduto Wins Pittsburgh Mayor Primary". PoliticsPA. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  5. 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.
  6. "Representative Jake Wheatley Jr". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2022-01-14.


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