Ed Neilson
Ed Neilson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 174th district | |
| Assumed office August 25, 2015[1] | |
| Preceded by | John Sabatina |
| Member of the Philadelphia City Council from the At-Large District | |
| In office August 14, 2014 – June 19, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Green |
| Succeeded by | Derek S. Green |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 169th district | |
| In office May 8, 2012 – August 14, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Denny O'Brien |
| Succeeded by | Kate Klunk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 23, 1963 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Doris |
| Children | Five |
| Residence | Northeast Philadelphia |
| Alma mater | Saint Joseph's University[2] |
| Occupation | Politician, Union official |
| Website | Ed Neilson |
Edward James "Ed" Neilson (born August 23, 1963)[3] is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. In April 2012, he won a special election to represent the 169th District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. In May 2014 he won a special election to serve as an at-large member of Philadelphia City Council replacing outgoing councilmember Bill Green. In August 2015, he won a special election to represent the 174th District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Early life and education
[edit]A native of Northeast Philadelphia, Neilson attended Abraham Lincoln High School, graduating in 1981.[4] He attended the Comey Institute at St. Joseph's University in 2004.[3]
Political career
[edit]Neilson is a former political director for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)'s Local 98 chapter. He went on to serve as Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Executive Deputy State Labor Secretary under Governor Ed Rendell, and eventually became director of business development and government relations at Chartwell Law Offices.[5]
PA State Senate
[edit]2022 Special Election
[edit]Neilson was considered for the 5th Senatorial District seat after John Sabatina resigned on December 31, 2021 after being elected to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas the previous month.[6] After a meeting of Democratic leaders asked to not be considered and Ward Leaders Shawn Dillon, Connie Dougherty, Alan Butkovitz, Pat Parkinson, Jim Donnelly, Bobby Henon, John Del Ricci, Harry Enggasser, Pete McDermott and John Sabatina Sr decided to support Shawn Dillion.[7]
Shawn Dillion failed to submit his financial disclosures which were required by law for candidacy and was forced to drop out. He was replaced as a candidate by his brother Jimmy Dillion.[8]
PA State House
[edit]2012 Special Election
[edit]In November 2011, Republican Denny O'Brien was elected to one of the Philadelphia City Council's at-large seats. O'Brien, who had comfortably held the 169th District seat in the State House for several decades, resigned from the General Assembly the following January. O'Brien's departure in part precipitated the decision on the part of the House Republican leadership to move the 169th district out of Philadelphia and into York County. The existing 169th district was to be split among the districts of Democrats Brendan Boyle, Kevin Boyle, Michael McGeehan and John Sabatina, Jr., as well as Republican John Taylor. However, the State Supreme Court struck-down the map, ruling its splitting of cities, townships and boroughs was unconstitutional. Therefore, a special election held on the existing boundaries was called for April 24, 2012.[7][9]
Neilson entered the race to succeed O'Brien, and won the Democratic primary unopposed. In the special election, he faced Dave Kralle, a long-time aide to O'Brien who served as his Chief of Staff at the end of his legislative tenure. On election day, Neilson defeated Kralle, and will hold the seat until January 2013. He will again face Kralle in the November 2012 general election, this time vying for a full two-year term.[7][9]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ed Neilson | 3,453 | 53.95 | +53.95 | |
| Republican | Dave Kralle | 2,941 | 45.95 | −54.05 | |
| Write-ins | 6 | 0.09 | +0.09 | ||
| Majority | 506 | 7.99 | −92.01 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | 54 | |||
2015 Special Election
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ed Neilson | 2,343 | 62.33% | ||
| Republican | Timothy Dailey | 1,413 | 37.59% | ||
| Write-ins | 3 | 0.08% | |||
| Majority | |||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
Tenure
[edit]Neilson was sworn in on May 8, 2012.[12] He served on the Children and Youth, and Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness committees.[4]
City Council
[edit]2014 Special Election
[edit]In February 2014, former City Council Member Bill Green and was sworn in as the chair of the School Reform Commission. He was nominated by Governor Tom Corbett.[13] In March 2014, Democratic ward leaders picked Neilson for the City Council special election that would be held in May 2014.[14] Neilson entered the race to succeed Bill Green, and won the special election to defeat Matt Wolfe, a Republican ward leader from West Philadelphia. He later resigned the seat on June 19, 2015.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ed Neilson | 66,204 | 78.65% | ||
| Republican | Matt Wolfe | 13,018 | 15.47% | ||
| Libertarian | Nikki Allen Poe | 4,403 | 5.23% | ||
| Write-ins | 551 | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Tenure
[edit]Neilson was sworn into Philadelphia City Council on August 14, 2014 and resigned on June 19, 2015.[16]
Personal life
[edit]Neilson, his wife and five sons currently reside in Northeast Philadelphia.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "SESSION OF 2015 - 199TH OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY - No. 61" (PDF). Legislative Journal. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2015-08-25.
- ^ "Ed Neilson, District 169". Official Profile. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
- ^ a b "Ed Neilson". Official Website - PA House Archives. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ a b c "Biography". Official Biography. The Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
- ^ Waring, Tom (April 11, 2012). "Down to the wire in the 169th district". The Northeast Times. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
- ^ name="SabSen""Special election slated for Pennsylvania 5th Senate district". Associated Press. January 8, 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ a b c Waring, Tom (January 10, 2022). "Dems pick ward leader Dillon for Senate special election". The Northeast Times. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
- ^ Waring, Tom (April 3, 2022). "Dillon out of Senate race, replaced by brother". The Northeast Times. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Downs, Sana. "Power Evident Behind Ed Neilson In 169th Legislative District Race". News. The Philadelphia Public Record. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
- ^ "Special Election - Representative In The General Assembly - 169th District". Philadelphia County April 24, 2012 Primary and Special Election Unofficial Results. The City of Philadelphia: Office of the City Commissioners. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
- ^ "Special Election - Representative In The General Assembly - 174th District". Philadelphia County August 11, 2015. The City of Philadelphia: Office of the City Commissioners. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ "6 New State Reps Sworn In". Politics News. NBC 10 Philadelphia. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
- ^ Dunn, Mike (2014-02-18). "Bill Green Sworn In As Chairman Of SRC, No Special Election Planned Yet To Fill His Council Seat". Retrieved 15 April 2014.
- ^ Brennan, Chris (March 11, 2014). "Democratic ward leaders pick Neilson for Council special election". The Daily News. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ^ "Special Election - City Council At-Large". Philadelphia County May 20, 2014 Primary Election Results. The City of Philadelphia: Office of the City Commissioners. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
- ^ City, Council (August 14, 2014). "Philadelphia City Council Welcomes Councilman At-Large Ed Neilson". Retrieved January 6, 2015.
External links
[edit]- State Representative Ed Neilson official caucus website
- Ed Neilson (D) official PA House website
- Ed Neilson for State Representative official campaign website
