John Boccieri

John Boccieri
File:John Boccieri official portrait.jpg
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 59th district
In office September 29, 2015 – December 31, 2018
Preceded by	Ron Gerberry
Succeeded by	Don Manning
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 16th district
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Ralph Regula
Succeeded by	Jim Renacci
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 33rd district
In office January 1, 2007 – December 31, 2008
Preceded by	Bob Hagan
Succeeded by	Joe Schiavoni
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 61st district
In office January 3, 2001 – December 31, 2006
Preceded by	Ron Hood
Succeeded by	Mark Okey
Personal details
Born	John Stephen Anthony Boccieri (1969-10-05) October 5, 1969 Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Stacey Kennedy
Education	St. Bonaventure University (BS) Webster University (MA, MPA)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Air Force
Years of service	1994–1998 (active) 1998–present (reserve)
Rank	Colonel
Unit	911th Airlift Wing
Battles/wars	Operation Iraqi Freedom

John Stephen Anthony Boccieri (born October 5, 1969) is an American aviator, military veteran, and politician who was appointed to fill the 59th district seat in the Ohio House of Representatives on September 29, 2015. He left office after an unsuccessful run for Ohio State Senate in 2018. He served one term as the U.S. representative for Ohio's 16th congressional district from 2009 to 2011, losing his 2010 bid for reelection to Republican Jim Renacci. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and previously served in the Ohio State Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives. Boccieri resides in Poland, Ohio.

Early life and career

Boccieri was born in Youngstown where he graduated from Ursuline High School in 1988. He attended St. Bonaventure University in New York, graduating with a B.S. in 1992, after which he played minor league baseball in the Frontier League. Following one season of baseball, he began his career in government. After working as staff for several members of the Ohio House of Representatives, Boccieri joined the United States Air Force as a second lieutenant. He also earned two master's degrees (M.A. 1992, M.P.A. 1996) from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. Boccieri flew the C-130 Hercules as a member of the Air Force Reserve. He has been forward deployed several times and served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, causing him to take leaves of absence from the Ohio Legislature.

File:John boccieri.jpg

Boccieri in U.S. Air Force uniform

After leaving the active duty Air Force, he re-entered politics, running for and winning the 61st District of the Ohio House of Representatives in 2000. In 2006, he won a seat in the Ohio State Senate in District 33; he was unopposed.

United States Congress

Committee assignments

• Committee on Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

Notable votes

In the 111th Congress, Boccieri voted for the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, an economic stimulus package, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, landmark health care reform legislation.

In his memoir, A Promised Land, Barack Obama described Boccieri as a "rising star" of the Democratic Party and one of the political neophytes who decided to support the healthcare reform bill despite political risks.

Campaigns

2008

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio, 2008 § District 16

There had been speculation throughout 2007 that Boccieri would challenge U.S. Representative Ralph Regula to represent the 16th District in the U.S. House, a seat Regula had held for 36 years. When Regula announced his retirement in late 2007, Boccieri faced an open field. He defeated State Representative Mary Cirelli with 64% of the vote in the Democratic primary. He faced and defeated State Senator Kirk Schuring in the general election. He was the first Democrat to represent this district in 58 years.

2010

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio,_2010 § District 16

On October 30, 2010, Boccieri ran offstage while former President Bill Clinton was giving a speech after learning that his pregnant wife was in labor.

On November 2, 2010, Boccieri lost his bid for a second term in Congress after being defeated by Republican businessman Jim Renacci. He was defeated handily in an overwhelmingly Republican election cycle; Boccieri received only 41% of the vote, compared to 52% for Renacci (a Libertarian candidate took the remaining votes).

Return to Ohio House of Representatives

On September 29, 2015, Boccieri was appointed to the Ohio House of Representatives, filling the 59th District vacancy caused by the resignation of Ron Gerberry. He did not run for re-election in 2018, instead opting to run for the 33rd District seat in the Ohio State Senate, losing to Michael Rulli in the general election.

Later career

After leaving politics, Boccieri became a commercial airline pilot for United Airlines. He has also been active with the Airline Pilots Association and was considered for the role of administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration during the Biden administration, but ultimately was not appointed to the role.

External links

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Appearances on C-SPAN