Hi, I'm Jay.

I'm a State Representative representing Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, and the West End. I was elected to the Massachusetts State Legislature in 2013 and have been in the State House since then advocating for the people of the 8th Suffolk District. I was born and raised in North Attleboro, where I was educated in public schools and worked as a cashier at the town pharmacy all through high school. I was a union factory worker while attending University of Connecticut for my undergraduate degree, where I majored in political science and history, and graduated with honors. I put myself through George Washington School of Law, where I graduated with high honors, while working at a union cardboard box factory.

I'm a legislator.

In my work as State Representative, I strive to be accessible and responsive to my constituents, and a constant presence throughout my district. I am always listening to the needs of my community and I am fervently determined to find the best ways of working together. I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish as State Representative, working diligently on behalf of my constituents and their children. Together we have protected our precious parks, preserved the historical dignity of the district while modernizing it for contemporary use, and advocated for safer streets (for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike). There is still so much work to be done, and I can't wait to see what we can accomplish together next. Legislatively, I've learned so much about the causes that are important to my district including closing the gender wage gap, increasing minimum wage, securing safe and accessible abortions, increasing funding for early childhood education for low-income families, and many more causes. I look forward to building on all that we've accomplished.

I'm an activist.

I have been a board member of the Beacon Hill Civic Association and clerk of its Zoning and Licensing Committee. In these roles, I saw the importance of community activism on critical issues such as development and was reminded that, when we come together as a community and make our voices heard, we can achieve great progress. Beyond my legislative duties, I have supported home care workers in their fight for better wages and a union. I have walked with union workers in picket lines to fight for their job security, improve their working conditions, and enhance their dignity in the workplace. I am also incredibly active in my Democratic Ward Committee (Boston Ward 5).

I'm a lawyer.

I’ve worked as an attorney in public and private practice for nearly twenty-five years. Between 2006 and 2010, I worked in the Civil Division of the Attorney General’s Office of the Northern Mariana Islands and ultimately became Chief of the Division. For the next four years, I worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County, where I witnessed first-hand the problems with our criminal justice system. I have since been in private practice, specializing in employment law and criminal defense. I have successfully secured justice for victims of discrimination and wrongful termination in the workplace and helped people who could not afford an attorney. This experience inspired me to seek public office: to make a change for my community and the State of Massachusetts toward progressive and common sense reforms to our criminal justice system.

I'm a husband and a dad.

I have been married to my wonderful wife, Julie, since 2015. Together we have a son named Henry who was born in 2016 and a son named Harry, who was born in 2018. We live in the Back Bay and we love to take walks around our neighborhood and take trips to the Esplanade and the Museum of Science among other places. It has been a true joy to show our boys all that the district has to offer. I feel incredibly lucky to have such a fantastic family.