Ryan Ray
Broward Democratic state Rep. Shevrin “Shev” Jones has been picked as State Director for the Network of Young Elected Leaders, a group affiliated with People For the American Way.
Jones, 32, was elected in a vote late last year and will help direct the group’s advocacy and organization efforts, which focus on social justice and progressive economic issues.
“I believe such an investment should be made in this selected group of citizens because we play an essential part in impacting our nation now and in the future,” said Jones, first elected to the Florida House in 2012.
“I look forward to helping lead this group of exceptional young leaders in maintaining the principle that our program has been and should continue focusing on: keeping the YEO Network open, accessible, and functional to young elected officials across the nation especially on the state-by-state level,” Jones said.
Jones became active in the group shortly after his election to HD 101, an inland, solidly Democratic seat taking in parts of West Park, Hollywood, and Miramar, just north of Miami-Dade County.
The YEO group’s national executive director is Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who coordinated with them in a variety of ways as a former city commissioner and now as mayor. The group says it surpassed 1,000 members in 2015.
The group aims to support “young progressive officials through leadership development and networking opportunities.”
Jones is running unopposed for his third term in the House. He is set to term out in 2020.
Jones is carrying HB 93 this Legislative Session, his second attempt in as many years to mandate the use of body cameras for Florida law enforcement officers. A 2013 analysis of his freshman voting record by a liberal Florida political blog ranked him among the middle tier of the state’s most progressive House Democrats.
