Jim Cook Jr. (born August 25, 1987, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American writer, actor, and filmmaker,[1] who served in the United States Army. In 2012, Cook ran a successful election campaign by only using social media.[2] He graduated from Woodstown High School in 2006.[3]
In September 2012, Cook wrote and produced Roundabout: A New Amusement, a play about the history of the Levoy Theatre. The play was performed for the theater's grand opening gala. He has served on the theater's Board of Directors since January 2019.[6]
On the night before the general 2012 election, Cook launched a last-minute bid with no funding and less than 24 hours to win a seat on the Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District school board of education.[7] Later that month, it was announced Cook had won a seat representing Pilesgrove Township, using only social media to rally votes.[8]
Due to his position as an editor, Cook was urged by the South Jersey Times to decline the BOE appointment to avoid a conflict of interest, to which he agreed.[9]
From 2010 to 2013 at the South Jersey Times (then The News of Cumberland County), Cook worked closely with former 1981 NFL Baltimore Colt defensive lineman Anthony “Bubba” Green on a series investigating the city of Baltimore in the electrocution death of Green's daughter Deanna in Druid Hill Park in 2006.[11] The series — along with various legal proceedings[12] — assisted in the creation of the Deanna Camille Green Rule, which requires electric companies in Maryland to survey for contact voltage (stray electricity). The overall intention of the rule is to prevent accidental electrocutions.[13]
The series — later titled Battling Stray Electricity: A family's journey — received a 2010 New Jersey Press Association award in Public Service.[14]
Writing
Year(s)
Work
Type
2010
A Christmas Carol
Stage Play
2012
Roundabout, A New Amusement
Stage Play
Awards
• New Jersey Press Association (2010) | Lloyd P. Burns Award for Public Service[15]
• New Jersey Press Association (2012) | Breaking News[16]
• Beyond the Curve International Film Festival (Aug 2021) | Finalist | The Roommate[17]
• The International Documentary Film Festival (July 2023) | Honorable Mention | Mini Doc: On Golden Pond[18][19]
^Cook, Jim Jr. "How I won an election by only using Facebook", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 22, 2012. Accessed February 26, 2023. "Thank you for trusting me — a proud 2006 graduate of Woodstown High School — leading in one of the most difficult local elected positions that exist. I feel the Woodstown-Pilesgrove love."
^http://www.dsd.state.md.us/comar/SubtitleSearch.aspx?search=20.50.11.*Archived 2011-12-01 at the Wayback Machine Maryland: Office of the Secretary of State. 20.50.11.00. Title 20 PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION Subtitle 50 SERVICE SUPPLIED BY ELECTRIC COMPANIES Chapter 11 Deanna Camille Green Rule ― Contact Voltage Survey Requirement and Reporting Authority: Public Utilities Article, §2-113, 2-121, 5-101, and 5-303, Annotated Code of Maryland.
