As the next Council Member I’ll be able to combine these experiences with the resources of the city to lead to better outcomes.

Jeffery "Jay" Young, Jr., Esq. represents Philadelphia's 5th Councilmanic District on City Council. Raised in North Philadelphia, he brings a legal background in real estate transactions and litigation, land use, zoning, and code enforcement to the role, along with experience in estate planning and advising small businesses and nonprofits.

Jeffery attended Girard College, a boarding school for academically capable students from low income, single parent families, where he found his passion for service and fighting for what's right. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from Temple University, focusing on urban policy, and his Juris Doctorate from Rutgers School of Law, Newark, where he received the Governor's Executive Fellowship from the Eagleton Institute of Politics.

Since taking office, Jeffery has continued to show up in person at community events, resource fairs, and neighborhood meetings throughout the 5th to be a presence and support his constituents. His training as an attorney shapes how he approaches decisions on Council: he studies an issue closely before acting on it, weighs the long-term consequences for the district, and looks past the immediate moment to how a decision will hold up over time. Jeffery would rather take the time to get a decision right than move quickly and get it wrong, because the choices Council makes today shape the 5th District for years to come.

Before his election, Jeffery served on numerous boards and commissions, including the City of Philadelphia's Mayor's Commission on African American Males, the Barristers' Association of Philadelphia, the Union Benevolent Association, and the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation. He is a Democratic Committeeperson in the 32nd Ward, 18th Division, and previously served as counsel to the 32nd Ward Democratic Executive Committee. He was selected as a fellow with the New Leaders Council, a national organization that recruits, trains, and promotes young progressive leaders, and with Leadership Philadelphia's Connectors and Keepers program.

In law school, Jeffery worked with the Chad School Foundation and interned in the Washington, D.C. office of U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr., at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, and at the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority. In college, he worked as an aide in the Managing Director's Office during the John Street administration and was the first 5th District Commissioner on the Philadelphia Youth Commission.

Jeffery is married to Jennifir, a cancer survivor, and is the proud father to his son, Parker Jeffery.