Representative Ed Neilson Contact information

Ed Neilson is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. He was elected to serve as state representative for the 174th Legislative District, Philadelphia County, in a special election on August 11, 2015. A graduate of Abraham Lincoln High School, Ed is a well-known civic leader in his native Northeast Philadelphia.

In November 2011, Ed was chosen by the voters of Philadelphia to finish out the remainder of a term as state representative for the 169th Legislative District. In May 2014, he was again called upon by the people of Philadelphia to serve on Philadelphia City Council.

His legislative priorities include job creation, honoring and protecting the elderly, improving public safety, improving the city’s educational climate, and effectively addressing the problem of absentee landlords. During his tenure as a public official, Ed has been successful in securing needed funding for schools, transportation and infrastructure projects throughout the Philadelphia area and championing legislation that established the Dyslexia and Early Literacy Intervention Pilot Program.

Ed and his wife, Doris, are the proud parents of five sons. He is also a part of various committees and caucuses such as the Transportation, Philadelphia House Delegation, Masonic Caucus, Oil & Gas Caucus, Autism and Intellectual Disabilities Caucus, Climate Caucus, Craft Beer Caucus, Delaware River Port Caucus, Early Childhood Education Caucus, Firefighters & Emergency Services Caucus, PA SAFE Caucus, and Sportsmen’s Caucus.

Before his political career, Neilson was a political director for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)’s Local 98 chapter. He went on to serve as Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Executive Deputy State Labor Secretary under Governor Ed Rendell, and eventually became director of business development and government relations at Chartwell Law Offices.