Jay’s Bio
John G. “Jay” Edwards was born April 7, 1958, in Newport, RI. His father, John Edwards, was a union carpenter foreman who eventually returned to the Newport area to start his own successful general construction company. His mother, Mary Ann Tobin, worked with his father in the construction company. She eventually branched out and became a Town Councilor for Portsmouth, RI, rising to President in 2004. They both continue to reside in Portsmouth, RI.
Jay graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, MA with a degree in Political Science in 1983. He met his wife, Donna Ward, in Boston and they were married in 1982. They have three children, John, 22, Kelsey, 18 & Mae, 13. Donna is currently a kindergarten teacher in the Westport, MA School system. She is also a building rep for the MA Federation of Teachers.
Before getting into politics, Jay worked in various levels in his chosen profession, construction. He has worked for both union and merit shop firms ranging in size from $1-3 million/ year to in excess of $150 Million/year. Jay has licenses in both RI and Massachusetts for construction supervision and has managed projects in several New England states. He is currently the director of operations for Advanced Building Concepts in Middletown, RI.
Locally, Jay served on the Tiverton Zoning Board for 10 years becoming the Vice Chairman. In 2004, he was appointed to the Tiverton Elementary School Building Committee which has been overseeing the construction of the three new elementary schools, of which he is currently Vice Chairman. In 2006, Jay was elected to the Tiverton Town Council. He continues to be a member of the Tiverton Democratic Town committee and serves as their treasurer. Jay was elected to represent District 70 (Tiverton, Portsmouth) in the RI House of Representatives in 2008. He serves on the House Labor and House Veterans Affairs Committees.
As
a committed environmentalist, Jay is a member of Save
the Bay, the Maine Island
Trail Association, the Tiverton
Land Trust and serves as the Town Council’s appointee to the Landfill
subcommittee. Jay is on the board of directors for Caritas,
RI, a non-profit
group that helps teenagers and women with substance abuse issues. Caritas
operates three residential facilities as well as several out-patient programs.
A long time and frequent platelet donor, Jay recently received his 10 gallon
mug from the RI
Blood Center. He also belongs to the National Eagle Scout Association
and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Newport Chapter.