Jeff Gray Campaign
Candidate for Nassau County Commissioner District 3
November 8, 2019
Recently, Jeff Gray filed with the Nassau County Supervisor of Elections to begin his campaign for Nassau County Commissioner District 3. The position of County Commissioner requires steadfast leadership and the foresight to identify and plan for the upcoming challenges and opportunities of the 2020s.
Jeff & his wife Diana fell in love with Nassau County years ago and decided to move here and raise a family. When asked specifically what drew him to Nassau County, Jeff gladly tells anyone, “The people of this county are so friendly and welcoming! The natural beauty that can be seen from any part of the county…like the beaches of Fernandina, the marshes of Yulee, to the wide open lands of Callahan, Bryceville, and Hilliard…it’s just hard to beat! And Diana and I both believed it would be the best place to raise our children Jeffrie & Brooke.” Beyond the friendly people and natural beauty Jeff points out, “There is a great opportunity to improve the quality of life for everyone who calls Nassau County home. By attracting and managing the right type of economic growth, we can create new jobs and keep more money right here in the county.”
Jeff’s strong background in business and community involvement make him uniquely qualified to take a leadership role in promoting smart-growth, while preserving personal property rights. Jeff has worked for 32 years for one of the world’s largest and most diversified corporations, AB Volvo Group / Mack Trucks, Inc. Working his way through the ranks, Jeff became a business manager for this company…a position that demands attention to detail, planning, and dedication to meet complicated goals and exacting deadlines. In our community, Jeff has served in various leadership roles.
On the Nassau County Code Enforcement Board, Jeff served as a board member and as Chairperson, ensuring that the highest standards were upheld in construction projects to keep our citizens safe. “People ask me, ‘what does code enforcement actually do?’” Jeff says, “The best way I can answer that is to let people know that our job is to promote the uniform application of ordinances, laws, and code to ensure corners are never cut that would affect the safety or accessibility of a building, road, sidewalk, or other infrastructure project. Without this enforcement, the quality of our infrastructure would be low and pose a real safety hazard, which would significantly diminish our quality of life.” In addition to serving on the Code Enforcement Board, Jeff has served on the Nassau County Economic Opportunity Board as well as the Planning & Zoning Board. After the retirement of Chairperson Thomas Ford, Jeff was named the first new Chairperson of the Economic Opportunity Board in nearly two decades.
Away from planning and working to promote economic opportunity, Jeff has also served as a little league coach, umpire, and community services volunteer and has participated in Angel Food Ministries and Gracie’s Kitchen of Nassau County. Jeff and his family are members of Bridge Family Worship Center in Yulee.
Jeff is running for Nassau County Commissioner District 3 because he understands that decisive, forward-thinking leadership will be required to take Nassau County into the next decade. Jeff is committed to promoting growth projects that will not only enhance the quality of life for our current citizens but will also lay the foundation for a stronger, more prosperous future. To accomplish this, Jeff believes that we need to be proactive about growth. Attracting the right type of growth will lead to job creation, new avenues for recreation, and the ability to keep more money in the county. Further, Jeff believes that the tax base must be diversified. “We cannot continue to rely on residential properties to generate the vast majority of tax revenue. Nassau County must take the steps necessary to not only attract commercial and industrial entities to the county, but also ensure they pay their fair share in property taxes,” Jeff says, “This will help keep our residential property taxes among the lowest in the state, while still allowing for much needed investments in the county.”
To get all this done, Jeff will engage the public & all stakeholders during critical phases of planning, so all voices of Nassau County can be heard…only then can we truly move forward as a county. Jeff will continue to build upon his reputation as a relationship builder to work with individuals, business, industry, and government to develop common-sense plans that will benefit everyone who calls Nassau County home. And with the help of friends like you, we can shape a brighter future for everyone in Nassau County. To learn more about Jeff Gray and his campaign, visit www.VoteJeffGray.com or call Jeff at 904-302-0137.