Justin Jeffre

Justin Jeffre (b. February 25 1973, Mount Clemens, Michigan) is a member of the multi-platinum group 98 Degrees.

Politics

Together with high school English teacher [1] Jason Haap (aka "The Dean of Cincinnati") and retired Engineer [2]Michael Earl Patton, Jeffre launched a grassroots multi-media project called the Cincinnati Beacon, which now includes a monthly print paper. The Beacon features video interviews with local politicians, investigative reporting, labor news and alternative views of what's happening around the city.

In 2005, Jeffre ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, as an independent. Not having purchased any television, radio, or print advertisements, he received only 708 votes in the non-partisan primary election, accounting for approximately one and a half percent of the total vote.

Jeffre is a proponent of campaign finance reform, instant-runoff voting, and proportional representation. He is active in the Southwest Ohio Green Party.

In 2007, he jumped in the race for Cincinnati City Council, with the endorsement of the Southwest Ohio Green Party. This time, 11.9% of ballots cast included a vote for Jeffre, and his candidacy put the Southwest Ohio Green Party on the ballot.

Jeffre's online web-magazine, The Cincinnati Bacon, has questioned election count procedures, detailing inconsistencies with local reporting on how ballots are handled. A few weeks later, Ohio's Secretary of State coincidentally questioned the whole State's vote counting mechanism.

Activism

In 2006, Jeffre captured video footage of speakers like Bob Fitrakis from the Green Party in Ohio.([3])

Additionally, Jeffre's letter to Bill Gothard about 2008 Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee made a big internet splash[4], casting questions about Huckabee's associations to Bill Gothard.

In March, 2008, Jeffre filed a formal complaint with the Ohio Department of Education, claiming that the state-mandated Ohio Graduation Tests were "unfair" according to guidelines set forth in Ohio Administrative Code. He followed up with a complaint to the Ohio Board of Regents, concerned that they were training teachers in illegal methods.

In April, 2008, Jeffre went to work on Ralph Nader's presidential campaign, and he gave the formal introduction at a speech in Illisois.

Independent media

He has also collaborated in Cincinnati independent media projects. He is co-publisher of The Cincinnati Beacon -- political blog in Cincinnati that recently made the transition to print.

External links

2006-2007

2005 and earlier