Starting a Conversation

I am excited to begin using the JP Patch to reach out to my constituents in Jamaica Plain.  I will be using this blog to share what is happening in the district, the Committee on Public Health, and within the State House.  This first blog will be an overview of my career and the 15^th Suffolk District, which I am proud to represent in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

In 2003, I was honored to be elected as the State Representative for the 15^th Suffolk/Norfolk District. This district consists of parts of Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, Roslindale, and the fifth precinct of Brookline.  Every one of these neighborhoods has a unique and distinct personality, a personality I try to represent everyday as your State Representative.

I was raised in Mission Hill and am a graduate of the Boston Public Schools, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government just last month.  I have worked for the City of Boston, including a term as the Community Liaison to the Jamaica Plain and Mission Hill neighborhoods as well as to the Hispanic community citywide.  I served as the Director of the 2000 Boston Census, the Director of Planning at the Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation and as a consultant to the Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools.  By holding all of these valuable positions within the City of Boston, I gained insight into the needs and concerns of the residents here. This insight is a tool I use daily.

In my second term, I was named Vice President of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies where I worked on the financing of the Infrastructure Investment Incentive, the so-called “I-Cubed Program.”  The program facilitates partnership between the state, local government and private developers to encourage job growth and local infrastructure improvements.  I also worked on “An Act Providing for the Investment in and Expansion of the Life Sciences Industry in the Commonwealth”  also called the Life Sciences bill, helping to solidify the Commonwealth as a leader in the life sciences industry.  

In 2009, I was appointed as the House Chair to the Joint Committee on Public Health.  I am proud to serve on a committee that is charged with reviewing a broad spectrum of health policy issues, including health care quality, safety, and transparency; health care technology; professional scope of practice and workforce issues; chronic conditions and disease treatment; prevention and wellness; food and drug safety; and environmental health.

In addition to public health initiatives, my other priorities are the right of English Language Learners to the same equal and accessible education as English speakers, affordable housing, youth employment, and economic and workforce development.  I hope that these blogs serve as a useful window into the happenings on Beacon Hill and the 15^th Suffolk District and will serve as the beginning of a long conversation between me and you.

 Sincerely,

 Jeffrey Sánchez

State Representative-15th Suffolk District