John, 55, has lived in the Cynon Valley all his life and has two children and two grandchildren. He is a former police officer and has a degree in sociology. He has been active in the Green Party for twelve years, holding various offices including General Secretary of the Wales Green Party. He was lead candidate on the South Wales Central list in the 2003 Assembly election and contested Cardiff South and Penarth in the 2005 general election. Prior to joining the Greens he was a Labour Party activist and a borough councillor for the Abercynon ward on the now defunct Cynon Valley Borough Council.

The main themes of his campaign were: