Mayoral Candidate Biography: Jim Gray

Jim Gray

Jim Gray has spent his career working to bring jobs and better government to Lexington.  Jim came to public service after spending 36 years creating jobs and economic growth in the private sector.  Jim is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the family firm, Gray Construction, a nationally ranked engineering, design and construction company. While the company has offices and projects coast to coast, it still remains a family-owned and operated business and is headquartered in Lexington.  In 2006, Jim was elected Vice-Mayor of Lexington.  Throughout his tenure, he has fought to eliminate waste at City Hall and to make government more accessible and accountable to the people. Jim was the leader in 2006 among all candidates for public office in calling for a moratorium on expanding the Urban Services Boundary. As co-chair of the Infill and Redevelopment Task Force, Jim applied his business-based problem-solving abilities to identify more than 100 specific actions to stimulate planning and smart development. His background in design and building, with a special awareness for preserving and adapting urban landscapes and buildings—like the Wolf-Wile building and the Sayre School—gives him the vision and experience to see how the unique character of the Bluegrass represents economic value for today and generations forward. Jim’s leadership in fighting the Centrepointe development reflected the position he has taken consistently: encouraging an active, vigorous and stimulating urban core, with mixed-use development that honors our past and helps shape our future.