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{{Short description|American politician (born 1950)}}

{{Infobox Politician

{{Infobox officeholder

| image =

| name = John Perzel

| image =

| width =

| height =

| caption =

| small_imagestate_house = Pennsylvania

| office district = [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives|Pennsylvania House of Representatives, OneDistrict Hundred Seventy-Second District172|172nd]]

| term_start = [[January 2, 1979]]

| term_end = presentNovember 30, 2010

| predecessor = [[Francis Gleeson (politician)|Francis Gleeson]]

| successor = Incumbent[[Kevin J. Boyle|Kevin Boyle]]

| constituency =

| majority =

| office2order2 = 136th85th
| office2 = [[Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives]]

| term_start2 = [[March 29, 2003]]

| term_end2 = [[January 2, 2007]]

| predecessor2 = [[Matthew J. Ryan|Matt Ryan]]

| successor2 = [[Dennis M. O'Brien|Dennis O'Brien]]

| constituency2 =

| majority2 =

| office3 = Republican Leader of the<br/>[[Pennsylvania House of Representatives]]

| term_start3 = January 5, 1995

| term_end3 = January 7, 2003

| predecessor3 = [[Matthew J. Ryan|Matt Ryan]]

| successor3 = [[Samuel H. Smith (politician)|Sam Smith]]

| title4 = [[Whip (politics)|Republican Whip]] of the<br />[[Pennsylvania House of Representatives]]

| constituency3 =

| majority3term_start4 = January =3, 1989

| birth_dateterm_end4 = [[JanuaryNovember 7]]30, [[1950]]1994

| birth_place predecessor4 = [[PhiladelphiaSamuel E. Hayes, PennsylvaniaJr.|Samuel Hayes]]

| successor4 = [[John E. Barley|John Barley]]

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|1|7|mf=y}}

| birth_place = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]

| relations =

| spouse = Sheryl Stokes

| civil partner =

| children =

| residence = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.

| occupation =

| religion = [[Roman Catholic]]

| signature =

| website =

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}}

'''John Michael "Jay" Perzel''' (born [[January 7]], 1950) is an American [[1950politician]]) isand amember of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[politicianParty]]. whoPerzel represents therepresented 172nd Legislative District ([[Northeast Philadelphia]]) in the [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives]] from 1978 until 2010. From April 2003 to January 2007, he served as House Speaker. ofHe thelost his bid for re-election to Democrat [[Kevin J. Boyle|Kevin Boyle]] in [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2010|2010]]. Perzel was convicted in August 2011 of a variety of corruption related charges and, in March 2012, was sentenced to 30 months in prison.<ref name="tribune-democrat.com">{{cite web|url=http://tribune-democrat.com/latestnews/x1862285352/Perzel-gets-at-least-2-1-2-years-in-corruption-case|title=Perzel gets at least 2 1/2 years in corruption case|first=Peter|last=Jackson|publisher=Associated Press|access-date=15 September 2016}}</ref>

==Early years==

Perzel is a graduate of [[Abraham Lincoln High School (PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia)|Abraham Lincoln High School]]. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1975 from [[Troy State University]] in [[Alabama]]. After graduating from university, he returned to Philadelphia and became a waiter. Immediately before his political career, he was [[maitre d']] at Pavio's Restaurant in [[Somerton, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Somerton]], a section of [[Northeast Philadelphia]].<ref>

{{cite news

|url = http://www.northeasttimes.com/2003/0423/perzelpals.html

|title = Perzel: Political powerhouse

|last = Waring

|first = Tom

|date = 2004-04-23

|publisher = [[Northeast Times]]

|access-date = 2008-10-10

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061128121253/http://www.northeasttimes.com/2003/0423/perzelpals.html

|archive-date = 2006-11-28

}}

</ref>

==Politics==

Perzel was noticed by [[Philadelphia]] [[Republican Partyboss (United[[William States)Meehan|RepublicanBilly PartyMeehan]] boss Billy Meehan, who selected him to be a GOP committeeman in 1972.

In 1976, after graduating from Troy State University, he unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the House. In 1978, he made a successful campaign for the House, focusing on the poor attendance record of the Democratic incumbent, [[Francis Gleeson (politician)|Francis Gleeson]]. Over the years, he rose in seniority in the House, holding the offices of Republican Whip, Policy Committee Chairman and Chairman of the House Republican Campaign Committee. He was elected Majority Leader in 1994.

Perzel hit some bumps on his route to the leadership. In November 2000, Perzel nearly suffered defeat when a wave of support for then-[[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Al Gore]] brought out Democratic voters in Philadelphia in larger than expected numbers. Perzel survived by less than 100 votes.<ref>

{{cite news

|url = http://www.northeasttimes.com/2000/1122/perzel.html

|title = Perzel: On edge of his (House) seat

|last = Waring

|first = Tom

|date = 2000-11-22

|publisher = [[Northeast Times]]

|access-date = 2008-10-10

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061117173231/http://www.northeasttimes.com/2000/1122/perzel.html

|archive-date = 2006-11-17

}}

</ref> 2002 brought redistricting and a more favorable district for Perzel.{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}}

In a 2002 [[PoliticsPA]] [[Feature story]] designating politicians with [[Yearbook|yearbook superlatives]], he was named the "Hardest Working."<ref name=yearbook>{{cite web|title=Keystone State Yearbook Committee |work=[[PoliticsPA]] |publisher=The Publius Group |year=2001 |url=http://www.politicspa.com/yearbookcommittee.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020803170058/http://www.politicspa.com/yearbookcommittee.htm |archive-date=2002-08-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2001, he was named "Politician of the Year" by [[PoliticsPA]].<ref name=poloftheyear2001>{{cite web|title=Sy Snyder's Politician of the Year 2001 |work=[[PoliticsPA]] |publisher=The Publius Group |year=2001 |url=http://www.politicspa.com/FEATURES/pol_of_the_year.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020803100256/http://www.politicspa.com/FEATURES/pol_of_the_year.htm |archive-date=2002-08-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Perzel was appointed as a commissioner to the [[Delaware River Port Authority]] by Democratic Governor [[Ed Rendell]] in 2003.

By 1976, he graduated from [[Troy State University]] and unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the House. In 1978, he made a successful campaign for the House, focusing on the poor attendance record of the Democratic incumbent. Over the years, he rose in seniority in the House, holding the offices of Republican Whip, Policy Committee Chairman and Chairman of the House Republican Campaign Committee. He was elected Majority Leader in 1994.

On November 2, 2010, Perzel lost his seat to Democrat [[Kevin J. Boyle|Kevin Boyle]], brother of Rep. [[Brendan Boyle]]. Perzel captured 46% of the vote to Boyle's 54%. Perzel was the only Republican incumbent in Pennsylvania to lose in the [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2010|2010 elections]].

In November 2000, Perzel nearly suffered defeat when a wave of support for then-[[Vice President]] [[Albert Arnold Gore, Jr.|Al Gore]] brought out Democratic voters in Philadelphia in larger than expected numbers. Perzel survived by less than 100 votes.

==Speakership==

On March 29, 2003, Speaker of the House, [[Matthew J. Ryan|Matt Ryan]], died after battling [[cancer]]. On April 15, 2003, the House elected Perzel as Speaker.{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}} He became one of the most powerful legislative leaders in the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly]] since [[James Manderino]].<ref name=pareport2003>{{cite web|title=The PA Report "Power 75" List |work=Pennsylvania Report |publisher=Capital Growth, Inc. |date=January 31, 2003 |url=http://www.pa-report.com/uploaded_pdf/PAReportPower75_.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060920200116/http://www.pa-report.com/uploaded_pdf/PAReportPower75_.pdf |archive-date=September 20, 2006 |quote=With the possible exception of the late Jim Manderino, Pennsylvania has not had, in recent years, a legislative leader with the power of this Philadelphian. |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On [[March 29]] [[2003]], Speaker of the House, [[Matthew J. Ryan]], passed away after battling [[cancer]]. On [[April 15]] [[2003]], the House elected Perzel as Speaker.

Rep. Perzel was instrumental in the state takeover of the poorly performing [[Philadelphia School District of Philadelphia]] and, the [[Philadelphia Parking Authority]], and the [[Philadelphia Convention Center]].<ref name=pareport2003 />

He was also a key figure in the [[2005 Pennsylvania General Assembly#The pay raise controversy|2005 pay raise debacle]]. During the furor, Perzel became the butt of jokes due to an unfortunate photograph. While reading to students in Pittsburgh, he was photographed in front of a class display full of pink pigs. The pay raise opposition had used a 25-foot pink pig in its demonstrations, and the photograph was widely circulated in order to embarrass the Speaker. In defending the pay raise, Perzel has made a number of controversial statements, including assertions that some cow-milkers and tattoo artists earned more thatthan his members. In addition, Perzel has commented that some of the members were unable to obtain credit cards. <ref>[
{{cite news
|url=http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/14839106.htm, ''Philadelphia Inquirer'',
|title=Perzel says many colleagues are in a financial pickle, June 17, 2006]</ref>

|date=2006-06-17

|publisher=[[Philadelphia Inquirer]]

|format=link not working

|access-date=2006-09-06

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060906052315/http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/14839106.htm

|archive-date=September 6, 2006

}}

</ref>

Perzel has been criticized by conservatives for compromising with fellow Philadelphian, Governor [[Ed Rendell]]. Perzel supported the 2003 tax increase proposed by Rendell as well as Act 7271, the law that legalized slot machine gambling in [[Pennsylvania]]. Despite the criticism, Perzel has won plaudits for helping the Republican party maintain its hold on the House of Representatives since 1997.

===2007 Speaker Electionelection===

Republicans lost the majority in the [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2006|2006 elections]] by one seat.<ref>

Republicans lost the majority in the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly Election, 2006|2006 elections]] by one seat; however Perzel refused to vacate the Speaker's office. <ref>[http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06365/750290-85.stm ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', Democrat gives GOP Pa. House majority. December 30, 2006].</ref> All along, Perzel had been seeking to convince a Democrat to change parties or abstain from the election for speaker so that he could remain in office. On [[December 30]] [[2006]], Democrat [[Thomas R. Caltagirone]] of [[Reading, Pennsylvania|Reading]] announced that he would support Perzel rather than Democrat [[H. William DeWeese]] for Speaker of the House. Although Caltagirone has not formally switched parties, his support of Perzel made it appear likely that Perzel would be elected Speaker in January 2007 and preside over a Democratic majority.<ref>[http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/16363590.htm Colleagues: Pa. House switch is revenge], ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'', [[January 2]] [[2007]]</ref> At the last minute, however, DeWeese nominated another Northeast Philadelphia Republican, [[Dennis M. O'Brien]]. The tactic was successful, as O'Brien was elected by a vote of 105 to 97.

{{cite news

|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06365/750290-85.stm

|title=Democrat gives GOP Pa. House majority

|last=Barnes

|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Barnes (American journalist)|date=2006-12-31

|publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

|access-date=2008-10-10}}

</ref> Perzel sought to convince a Democrat to change parties or abstain from the election for speaker so that he could remain in office. After Democrat [[Thomas R. Caltagirone|Tom Caltagirone]] of [[Reading, Pennsylvania|Reading]] announced that he would support Perzel rather than Democrat [[Bill DeWeese]] for Speaker, it appeared likely that Perzel would be elected Speaker presiding over a Democratic majority.<ref>

{{cite news

|url=http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/16363590.htm

|title=Colleagues: Pa. House switch is revenge

|date=2007-01-02

|publisher=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]

|format=link not working

|access-date=2007-01-02

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070111223818/http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/16363590.htm

|archive-date=2007-01-11

|url-status=dead

}}

</ref> At the last minute, however, DeWeese nominated another Northeast Philadelphia Republican, [[Dennis M. O'Brien|Dennis O'Brien]]. The tactic was successful, as O'Brien was elected by a vote of 105 to 97.

The Republican caucus created the new title of Speaker Emeritus which gave Perzel a role without displacing other members of the House leadership.<ref>

==External links ==

{{cite news

*[http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/house_bio.cfm?districtnumber=172 Perzel's webpage at the House website]

|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07011/752968-85.stm

|title=State Republicans name Rep. Perzel 'speaker emeritus'

|last=Barnes

|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Barnes (American journalist)

|date=2007-01-11

|publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

|access-date=2008-10-10}}

</ref>

Even though he lost the majority of his power, he remained a "powerful force in the House due to his institutional knowledge."<ref name=pareport2009>{{cite web |title=PA Report 100 |work=Pennsylvania Report |publisher=Capital Growth, Inc. |date=January 23, 2009 |url=http://www.pa-report.com/uploaded_pdf/PA%20Report%20100%20-%20Jan%2023,%202009.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127050652/http://www.pa-report.com/uploaded_pdf/PA%2520Report%2520100%2520-%2520Jan%252023,%25202009.pdf |archive-date=January 27, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=September 22, 2009 }}</ref>

Perzel made a bid to return to the House GOP leadership after the [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2008|2008 elections]], but was defeated by incumbent [[Samuel H. Smith (politician)|Sam Smith]] for the position of Minority Leader.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brad |first=Bumsted |author-link=Brad Bumsted |title=House Democrats hand DeWeese No. 2 slot |url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_599146.html |work=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review |date=2008-11-18 |access-date=2008-11-18 }}{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Aristotle scandal==

On September 10, 2008 the office of then-[[Pennsylvania Attorney General|State Attorney General]]

Republican [[Tom Corbett]] announced that Perzel was under investigation for deals he made with the data firm [[Aristotle, Inc.]] during his tenure as Speaker of the House. Perzel had contracted the firm to provide the Republican Caucus with its constituency service program in deals worth over $1,870,000.<ref>

{{cite news

|url = http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1221002714322070.xml&coll=1

|title = Questions reportedly focus on election tasks, possible no-work job

|last = Thompson

|first = Charles

|author-link = Charlie Thompson (reporter)

|date = 2008-09-10

|publisher = Central PA News

|access-date = 2008-10-10

}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

</ref> Corbett's agents were investigating whether the sophisticated data collection software was used for reelection campaigns in violation of state laws against the use of public funds for campaign purposes. On September 11, 2008 the [[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] reported that the contract contained specific references for gathering information related to election purposes and the distribution of yard signs.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08255/911329-100.stm|title=Grand jury investigates use of House GOP computer system|last=Roddy|first=Dennis B.|author-link=Dennis Roddy|date=2008-09-11|publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|access-date=2008-10-10}}</ref>

The Republican Attorney General's office stated that it would issue indictments either before October 1, 2009 or after the election to avoid having "undue influence" on the November election. After indictment,<ref name='Indited'>{{cite web |url=http://whyy.org/cms/news/government-politics/2009/11/12/former-pa-house-speaker-john-perzel-indicted/22864 |title=Former PA House Speaker John Perzel indicted |access-date=2010-02-28 |last=Tu |first=Alan |date=2009-11-12 |work=WHYY web site |publisher=WHYY |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307155903/https://whyy.org/cms/news/government-politics/2009/11/12/former-pa-house-speaker-john-perzel-indicted/22864 |archive-date=2012-03-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Perzel turned himself into local police on November 13, 2009.<ref>{{cite news|date=March 21, 2012|title=Perzel gets at least 2½ years in corruption case|first=Peter|last=Jackson|work=The Morning Call|___location=Allentown, PA|url=http://articles.mcall.com/2012-03-21/news/mc-pa-corruption-scandal-032112-20120321_1_house-speaker-john-perzel-brian-preski-corruption-case|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926231207/http://articles.mcall.com/2012-03-21/news/mc-pa-corruption-scandal-032112-20120321_1_house-speaker-john-perzel-brian-preski-corruption-case|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 26, 2013|access-date=January 8, 2019}}</ref> and was released from custody on $100,000 bond that same day after surrendering his passport.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20091113_Perzel_released_on_bond_after_handing_over_passport.html |title=Perzel released on bond after handing over passport}}</ref> He lost his [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2010|2010 re-election bid]] to Democrat [[Kevin J. Boyle|Kevin Boyle]].

Perzel pleaded guilty on August 31, 2011 to eight criminal charges, including two counts of conflict of interest, two counts of theft, and four counts of conspiracy.<ref>http://www.boston.com, September 1, 2011, Ex-Pa. speaker pleads guilty to corruption, by the Associated Press [http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2011/09/01/former_speaker_of_pennsylvania_house_pleads_guilty_to_corruption/]</ref> On March 21, 2012, Common Pleas Court Judge [[Richard Lewis (judge)|Richard Lewis]] sentenced Perzel to 30 months in prison and to pay one million dollars restitution to the state.<ref name="tribune-democrat.com"/> The penalty of one million dollars was later dropped on appeal.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/state/Convicted-Ex-Pa-House-Speaker-Perzel-wont-have-to-pay-1-million-to-state.html |title = Convicted Ex-Pa. House Speaker Perzel won't have to pay $1 million to state}}</ref>

==Ward leader==

Perzel was the Republican Ward Leader of the 64th Ward Republican Executive Committee.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seventy.org/Downloads/2009_Citizen's_Guide.pdf |title=2009 Citizen's Guide |access-date=2009-12-21 |last=Committee of Seventy |author-link=Committee of Seventy |date=2009-12-21 |publisher=The Committee of Seventy, Philadelphia, PA 19103 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419063456/http://seventy.org/Downloads/2009_Citizen%27s_Guide.pdf |archive-date=2009-04-19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.phillygop.com/wardleaders.html# |title=Members-Philadelphia Republican City Committee |access-date=2010-02-16 |date=2010-02-16 |work=Philadelphia Republican City Committee official web site |publisher=Philadelphia Republican City Committee |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304085501/http://phillygop.com/wardleaders.html |archive-date=2010-03-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==

* [[List of Pennsylvania state legislatures]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

<div class='references-small'>

<references/>

==External links ==

</div>

{{commons category-inline}}

* {{CongLinks | congbio= | votesmart=9203 | fec= | congress= }}

{{PASpeakers}}

{{portal bar|Politics|United States}}

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[[Category:Speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives]]

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[[Category:Pennsylvania politicians]]

[[Category:People from Philadelphia]]

[[Category:1950 births]]

[[Category:Living people]]

[[Category:Speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives]]

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[[Category:American people convicted of theft]]

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