Justin Jeffre

Justin Jeffre

Justin Jeffre (b. February 25 1973, Mount Clemens, Michigan) is a former child star and a member of the now defunct 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 once included 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.

Perennial Candidate For Office

In 2005, 2006 & 2007, Jeffre ran unsuccessfull campaigns 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. Although he crusades against what he describes as "corporate democrats", Jeffre own substantial amounts of stock in Wal-Mart and defence contractor GE. Many of his critics have derided Jeffre as a hypocrite.

In 2007, he jumped in the race for Cincinnati City Council, with the endorsement of the Southwest Ohio Green Party. This time, Jeffre received less than 1.8% of the vote.

Jeffre's online web-magazine, The Cincinnati Beacon, 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.

He endorses Ralph Nader's campaign, and performed in support of him.

Activism

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 Illinois.

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

• The Cincinnati Beacon
• Justin Jeffre's journey from Pop star to media activist
• Vote Gained, Tax Opponents Not Likely To Switch Sides
• Cincinnati's leading political blog enters newspaper business

2005 and earlier

• Justin Jeffre for Mayor website
• 98 Degrees' Justin Jeffre Tanks in Cincy Mayoral Primary
• Justin Jeffre at IMDb