John Blake
| John Blake | ||
 | ||
| Pennsylvania State Senate District 22 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2011-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| November 30, 2014 | ||
| Years in position | 2 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $82,026/year | |
| Per diem | $159/day | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| First elected | November 2, 2010 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Villanova University, 1983 | |
| Master's | Marywood Graduate School, 1987 | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | August 1, 1960 | |
| Place of birth | Scranton, PA | |
| Religion | Roman Catholic | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
His professional experience includes being the Executive Director of the Lackawanna County Redevelopment Authority, a Community Builders Fellowship with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, becoming vice-president and senior development advisor for PNC Bank’s community development division, and most recently working as the Director for the Northeast PA Office of the Governor.
Blake earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Villanova University, his master's degree in social work from Marywood College, and his M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Scranton Kania School of Management. He and his wife Louise have two children, Vince and Katie.[1]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Blake served on the following committees:
| Pennsylvania Committee Assignments, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Finance, Minority Chair | ||||
| • Appropriations | ||||
| • Community, Economic & Recreational Development | ||||
| • Labor & Industry | ||||
| • Local Government | ||||
| • Capitol Preservation, Democratic Chair | ||||
| • Local Government Commission | ||||
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Blake served on these committees:
| Pennsylvania Committee Assignments, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Local Government Commission | ||||
| • Appropriations | ||||
| • Community, Economic & Recreational Development | ||||
| • Intergovernmental Operations, Minority Chair | ||||
| • Labor & Industry | ||||
| • Local Government, Minority Chair | ||||
| • Urban Affairs & Housing | ||||
Elections
2010
Blake defeated Charles Volpe, Christopher Doherty, Jim Wansacz, Joseph Corcoran, and Christopher Phillips in the May 18 Democratic primary and defeated Republican Frank Scavo in the November 2 general election.[2]
| Pennsylvania State Senate District 22 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
 John Blake (D)
|
49,299 | |||
| Frank Scavo (R) | 29,432 | |||
Campaign themes
Blake's platform identifies 8 key issues areas:[3]
- The Legislature Excerpt: Blake will work to "eliminate 'per diem' payments in favor of specific reimbursement for eligible costs incurred by legislators" and "call for an independent audit of the legislature's administrative expenditures."
- Economic Development Excerpt: Blake will work to "expand the job creation tax credit program to leverage new private investment in job growth" and "invest in core infrastructure including roads, bridges and mass transit, to make us safer and more business-friendly and that will put people to work quickly."
- Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Excerpt: Blake will work to "levy a severance tax now on natural gas extraction similar to that currently levied in West Virginia and ensure revenue sharing with the local communities most affected by drilling operations" and "ffer incentives to promote traditional as well as new, innovative uses of PA natural gas to allow our businesses and consumers to benefit from our close proximity to this abundant resource."
- Seniors Excerpt: "The Commonwealth must retain and expand assistance to our senior citizens and to persons with disabilities."
- Working Families Excerpt: Blake supports "community programs that advance the creation of affordable housing" and "enhance the availability of quality day care and retain/support children's health insurance."
- Education Excerpt: Blake "will support public education by working to maintain or increase the state’s current share of funding of the cost of public education" and "achieve improved equity and fairness in the allocation of state funding for public education across economically diverse school districts."
- Local Government Excerpt: Blake "will advance programs in support of local government that offer incentives for the regionalization of municipal services and land use planning" and "rovide incentives for energy and operational efficiencies for school districts and local government facilities."
- Business Taxes Excerpt: Blake "will work toward tax reform policies that will require Mandatory Combined Reporting by PA corporatiosn and close the Delaware loophole" and "reduce the Corporate Net Income Tax to promote business investment."
Campaign donors
2010
Blake raised $608,513 during the 2010 election cycle.
His top contributors are listed below.[4]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Democratic State Senate Campaign Cmte | $48,200 |
| Boscov, Albert R | $30,000 |
| Citizens for Hughes | $27,500 |
| Burns, Elizabeth Anne | $25,000 |
| Williams for Senate | $15,000 |
External links
- Official website
- Official Project Vote Smart Bio
- Campaign Contributions: 2010
- Campaign website
References
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Mellow (D) |
Pennsylvania State Senate District 22 2011–present |
Succeeded by NA |
 |
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