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, and Mae, 13. Donna is currently a kindergarten teacher in the Westport, MA, school system. She is also a building rep for the Massachusetts 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 Rhode Island 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 ten 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,
and 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.
As a committed environmentalist, Jay is a member of Save the Bay and The Maine Island Trail Association 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 ten-gallon mug from the RI Blood Center.
As a committed environmentalist, Jay is a member of Save the Bay, the Tiverton Land Trust and The Maine Island Trail Association and serves as the Town Council’s appointee to the Landfill subcommittee.