Jason Lewis

Jason Lewis

Template:TOCnestleft Jason M. Lewis is a State Representative from Massachusetts.

Background

Jason Lewis was born in South Africa and emigrated to the United States with his family when he was twelve years old. He attended public schools and with the help of merit scholarships graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Economics in 1990. He also earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from Harvard in 1995.

He is married to Susan Lewis, a Web producer for the PBS science series NOVA. She also serves on the Boards of the League of Women Voters and the Winchester Multicultural Network.

Career/public service

Prior to entering public service, Jason Lewis had a long track record of accomplishment in the private sector, having helped build two successful software companies. He began his career with McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. He then held a number of senior management roles with RSA Security, a Bedford-based software company that is now part of EMC, and later was the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Endeca Technologies, a venture capital-backed software company in Cambridge.

Lewis serves on the Board of Trustees of the Winchester Foundation for Educational Excellence, and the Board of Advisors of South Africa Partners. He previously served on the Winchester Finance Committee and the Winchester Master Plan Steering Committee. He also served on committees to select Winchester’s School Superintendent and Comptroller.

State rep.

Jason Lewis serves as the State Representative for the 31st Middlesex District representing the people of Stoneham and Winchester.

He was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2008. He is the Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health, and also serves on the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight, Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business, and Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities.

He was appointed to serve on a Business and Community Leaders Working Group formed at the direction of Governor Deval Patrick to help Zoo New England develop a plan for growth and success

2008 Mass Alliance

In November 2008, several candidates for the Massachusetts legislature were endorsed for the November 4 election by Mass Alliance, of which Boston Democratic Socialists of America was a member.

These included House candidates Willie Mae Allen , Cory Atkins, Jennifer Benson, William Brownsberger, James Cantwell, Lori Ehrlich, Gloria Fox, Denis Guyer, John D. Keenan, Jason Lewis, James O'Day, Glenn Pare, Matthew Patrick, Denise Provost, Pamela Richardson, John W. Scibak, Carl Sciortino, David Sullivan, Martha Walz.

Supported Progressive Health Care Reform

In late 2009, Jason Lewis was one of more than 1,000 state legislators to sign a letter entitled "State Legislators for Progressive Health Care Reform". The letter was a project of the Progressive States Network and was developed in consultation with national health care reform advocates, including the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, Community Catalyst, Families USA, Herndon Alliance, National Women's Law Center, Northeast Action, SEIU, and Universal Health Care Action Network. The letter reads in part,

"Failure to pass national comprehensive health reform now will further jeopardize state and local budgets, undermining public services like education, public safety, and transportation infrastructure... We, the undersigned, call on President Obama and the Congress to enact bold and comprehensive health care reform this year – based on these principles and a strong federal-state collaboration – and pledge our support as state legislators and allies in pursuit of guaranteed, high quality, affordable health care for all."

DSA endorsement

In 2010, Massachusetts State Rep. Jason Lewis, 31st Middlesex, was included in a list of the mainly Massachusetts candidates endorsed by the Boston Democratic Socialists of America, published in the The Yankee Radical:

In the midst of a severe recession, Rep. Lewis has shown his leadership in spurring local economic development, championing education and local aid, and securing major improvements in flood mitigation. He is working for Chapter 70 reform, so that his constituents in suburban and rural school districts receive fairer educational funding. He has supported the Route 132 bus service, boosting public transportation in his district.

"Budget for All"

November 6, 2012 - by a three to one margin, Massachusetts voters "sent a clear message to both Democrats and Republicans in Washington about the federal budget crisis and the impending "fiscal cliff"". The Budget for All ballot question passed by 661,033 to 222,514 votes. It calls for no cuts to Social Security, Medicare, or other vital programs; investment in useful jobs; an end to corporate tax loopholes and to the Bush cuts on taxes on high incomes; withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan now; and redirection of military spending to domestic needs and job creation. The question passed by a wide margin in every district and all 91 Massachusetts cities and towns where it appeared on the ballot, ranging from most of Greater Boston to Holyoke to Norwood, Lawrence and Fall River.

Initiated by over 80 community, peace, labor, and faith groups, the Budget for All was supported by State Treasurer Steve Grossman, State Auditor Suzanne Bump, and Representatives Barney Frank, Mike Capuano, Jim McGovern and Ed Markey, along with 10 State Senators, 18 State Representatives, and 15 city councilors.

State Senators backing the initiative were William Brownsberger, Sonia Chang-Diaz, Sal DiDomenico, Kenneth Donnelly, Pat Jehlen, Thomas McGee, Stanley Rosenberg, Dan Wolf.

State Representatives were Cory Atkins, Linda Dorcena Forry, Sean Garballey, Louis Kafka, Jay Kaufman, Jason Lewis, David Linsky, Denise Provost, Frank I. Smizik, Ellen Story, Timothy Toomey, Jr., Marty Walz, Alice Wolf.

Leaders of the movement were;

• Michael Kane, Mass Alliance
• Carolyn Federoff, AFGE Local 3258
• Paul Shannon, AFSC
• Lisette Le,RTTC/CAA
• Cole Harrison, Massachusetts Peace Action

References

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