John Perzel lost his bid for re-election to Democrat Kevin Boyle in 2010.
22 Facts About John Perzel
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John Perzel was convicted in August 2011 of a variety of corruption related charges and, in March 2012, was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
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John Perzel earned a bachelor's degree in 1975 from Troy State University in Alabama.
4.
John Perzel was noticed by Philadelphia Republican boss Billy Meehan, who selected him to be a GOP committeeman in 1972.
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John Perzel hit some bumps on his route to the leadership.
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In November 2000, John Perzel nearly suffered defeat when a wave of support for then-Vice President Al Gore brought out Democratic voters in Philadelphia in larger than expected numbers.
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John Perzel was appointed as a commissioner to the Delaware River Port Authority by Democratic Governor Ed Rendell in 2003.
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On November 2,2010, John Perzel lost his seat to Democrat Kevin Boyle, brother of Rep.
9.
John Perzel was the only Republican incumbent in Pennsylvania to lose in the 2010 elections.
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John Perzel became one of the most powerful legislative leaders in the Pennsylvania General Assembly since James Manderino.
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John Perzel was instrumental in the state takeover of the poorly performing School District of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Parking Authority, and the Philadelphia Convention Center.
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John Perzel was a key figure in the 2005 pay raise debacle.
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In defending the pay raise, John Perzel has made a number of controversial statements, including assertions that some cow-milkers and tattoo artists earned more than his members.
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John Perzel has been criticized by conservatives for compromising with fellow Philadelphian, Governor Ed Rendell.
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John Perzel supported the 2003 tax increase proposed by Rendell as well as Act 71, the law that legalized slot machine gambling in Pennsylvania.
16.
John Perzel sought to convince a Democrat to change parties or abstain from the election for speaker so that he could remain in office.
17.
John Perzel made a bid to return to the House GOP leadership after the 2008 elections, but was defeated by incumbent Sam Smith for the position of Minority Leader.
18.
On September 10,2008 the office of then-State Attorney General Republican Tom Corbett announced that John Perzel was under investigation for deals he made with the data firm Aristotle, Inc during his tenure as Speaker of the House.
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John Perzel had contracted the firm to provide the Republican Caucus with its constituency service program in deals worth over $1,870,000.
20.
John Perzel lost his 2010 re-election bid to Democrat Kevin Boyle.
21.
John 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.
22.
John Perzel was the Republican Ward Leader of the 64th Ward Republican Executive Committee.