Jay Tucker is running for commissioner
MILFORD — Jay Tucker of Dingman Township has announced he will be a candidate for Pike County Commissioner in the Democratic primary in May 2015.
Incumbent Democratic Commissioner Karl Wagner has announced he will not be seeking reelection.
Speaking at the Pike County Democratic Committee’s holiday party at the Blooming Grove Township Firehouse, Tucker cited three of his priorities if elected commissioner. "We need greater accountability in county government, an increased focus on effectively delivering human services and a serious economic development effort to create jobs in Pike County," he said. "But most of all, we need fresh leadership with a vision for our future. My entire career has been about bringing people together, creating teams to work towards shared goals. I’m looking forward to doing that with residents from every corner of Pike County.”
Tucker retired in 2012 as head of the counseling department in the Delaware Valley School District, where he had worked for more than 30 years. He is a nationally recognized expert in academic financial aid programs.
“I’m proud that over the course of three decades, I helped hundreds of Pike County students secure many millions of dollars in financial aid, enabling them to realize their academic ambitions," Tucker said.
In recent years, Delaware Valley School District was recognized as one of the best in the nation by the Washington Post, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report and the College Board. The determination was made in large part based on the expansion and improvement of the school’s Advanced Placement (AP) enrollments and completion rates, a program Tucker helped develop and coordinate. During his tenure at Delaware Valley, it expanded from one AP class with five students to 24 AP courses with more than 1,000 students enrolled.
History of community service
Tucker has a long history of community service in Pike County. He was member of the Pike County Children and Youth Advisory Board of Directors, president of the Human Services Inter-Agency Council, and a past member of the board of directors of the Church of the Good Shepherd & St. John's Episcopal Church in Milford.
For 14 seasons he coached football, basketball, tennis and volleyball at the college and high school levels and for 16 seasons, served as a volunteer coach for PAYAL football and Cal Ripken Baseball leagues.
Tucker has two masters degrees, one from the University of Scranton, in counseling; and the other from Wilkes University, in educational leadership. His bachelor’s degree is in education from East Stroudsburg University. Since his retirement, he has continued to be active in education. He was elected as a trustee of the national College Board, which connects students to college success and opportunity. He speaks frequently at conferences and other forums on college and career readiness and current educational issues. The Middle States Region of the College Board recently honored Tucker with their highest honor, the Bernard P. Ireland Award. It recognizes an individual with a commitment to improving humanity through education and distinguishes themself as a change agent in their constituency. The award is named for Bernard P. Ireland, a past Dean of Admissions at Columbia University. Three times he represented the College Board Trustees on the China Bridge Delegation for American Educators’ visits to Beijing, China.
Tucker also has a long personal and family history in Democratic politics in northeast Pennsylvania, having served as a committee member and on the executive committee of the Pike County Democratic Committee for the past 20 years, as well as coordinating Pike County field operations for a number of state and federal candidates. In the 1990s, Tucker’s mother, Rose Tucker, was the first woman to chair the Luzerne County Commissioners. During her tenure, she led the effort to secure funding for the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, which is now also the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins farm team. In 2008, the Pennsylvania Commission for Women and then-Governor Ed Rendell honored Mrs. Tucker for her outstanding community leadership and contributions to human services.
Tucker and his wife, Elaine, have been married for 30 years and all three of their children — Jason, Joshua and Ashley — graduated from Delaware Valley High School. For more information, visit the Tucker for Pike County Commissioner Facebook page or email jtucker@ptd.net.