October 8, 2023
Pickerington Online’s Meet the Candidates

“Personally, it is a joy to be mayor in the town I grew up in. I look forward to going to the office and I enjoy knowing I can have a positive impact on the town I love,” said Lee Gray

On November 7, Gray hopes that Pickerington residents will again vote for him to be their mayor.

Why he’s a good fit for Pickerington Mayor:

“I am the best and most qualified candidate for the position,” Lee said. “I have an exceptional amount of experience and relationships that I can continue to use to keep Pickerington a great place to live and raise a family. Under my leadership and with the support of council we have put our city in the best financial shape ever. We have submitted a balanced budget 11 years in a row. We are spending on infrastructure – over $10 million on roads and curb and gutters since 2016.”

Due to efficient management the city has not raised its customers sewer and water rates in 11 years. Pickerington has continued to add police officers to keep our community safe and our emergency response times low.

“We continue to add value to our downtown by supporting its business association, a business incubator office building, new development, building purchases and connecting sidewalks for increased walkability.

We continue to spend on our parks every year. We budgeted $1 million this year and are currently evaluating areas of our community for a large, new park location.”

The city added a line item to the budget to connect and add additional sidewalks every year to increase our community’s walkability.

“We have done all this with the lowest income tax of any city in Central Ohio. We currently have the largest general fund carry-over balance in the history of the city. We have put together an awesome city staff that understands our #1 goal… to serve our residents! I would like to continue to build on the success we are having!”

Pickerington received incredible recognition as the fourth most livable community in the nation by Today’s Homeowner. Pickerington recently received the Auditor of Ohio’s Award of Distinction for the 15th consecutive year. Only 4% of audits annually receive this award.

The city is also one of the 10 safest cities in Ohio and the only city in Central Ohio to make a newly-released list.

LendEDU ranked the safest cities in each state, mostly with a population of at least 5,000 and Pickerington came in at #10.

“Using licensed data, we gathered the total crime risk score for every single town in the country. This score represents the combined risk of rape, murder, assault, robbery, burglary, larceny, and vehicle theft compared to the national average of 100. Cities that made the top of their state’s list had the highest negative difference from the national average; a higher negative difference meant a lower crime risk score, which meant a safer town.”

Lee credits the city’s success to the incredible team of staff across all departments of the city.

“These people care about our residents and understand we are here to serve!” Lee said. “Also, we have proposed a balanced budget for 11 years. We have managed our sewer and water utilities so well that we have not increased the rates in 11 years.”

Biggest Issues Facing Pickerington:

“We need to continue to find ways to improve traffic flow and move traffic in and out of town,” Lee said. “I also believe we need to find additional ground for another large park as our space for new features at our current parks is limited.”

How you might know Lee Gray:

For nearly 28 years, Gray has been a public servant, serving on city council, the school board and as mayor. You may have seen Gray running along Diley Road, working out at Lifetime Fitness or grabbing lunch at Scramblers.

He is a member of Grace Fellowship and helps run the youth tackle and flag football programs for the Pickerington Youth Athletic Association.

Who is Lee Gray?

“I have been married to Jane for 30 years and have three children: Logan, Mallory, and Molly,” Gray said. “We have a dog named Soussi. “I am currently the Mayor of Pickerington. “I’ve lived in Pickerington for 48 years (my parents moved here when I was going into third grade). I enjoy interacting with people. I enjoy college football especially the Buckeyes! I enjoy a motorcycle ride. I have a sweet tooth and love a Hershey’s chocolate bar.”

What others are saying about Lee Gray:

“I’ve worked with Lee Gray for six years while I was on Pickerington City Council, and now 5 years as County Commissioner.   Never been a doubt in my mind that Mayor Gray does what he believes to be the best interests of the citizens of Pickerington; and the positive working relationships that he has with leaders not only here in town but across Fairfield County help him deliver for all of us who call Pickerington home.” – Jeffrey Fix, Fairfield County Commissioner

“Lee Gray is THE mayor for the city of Pickerington. No one has the history or knows the Pickerington residents like Mayor Gray does. I have NEVER met nor worked with anyone that is more proud of the community in which they live than Lee Gray. He ALWAYS has the city and its citizens in the forefront of all opportunities that cross his desk. Lee Gray is THE mayor of Pickerington. Let’s keep it that way!” – Tricia Sanders, Pickerington City Council

Endorsements:

County Commissioner Jeff Fix
County Commissioner Steve Davis
County Commissioner Dave Levacy
Sheriff Alex Lape
Township Trustee Darrin Monhollen
Township Trustee Lori Sanders
Township Trustee Terry Dunlap
School Board members: J.D. Postage, Clay Lopez, Vanessa Neikamp, Keith Kristoff
City Council Members: Jaclyn Rohaly, Nick Derksen, Crystal Hicks, Tricia Sanders, Brian Wisniewski, Bob McCracken

Pickerington Online does not endorse any candidates or issues.