Malden Election Profile: Joseph Gray For School Committee

MALDEN, MA — There are five contested School Committee races in Malden's municipal election Nov. 5. Joseph Gray, 54, is running against Renee Dean in Ward 6.

Gray lives in Malden with his wife, Rachana, and three children. He has worked in IT support for nearly 30 years.

He previously served in the U.S. Army as a cryptologic technician.

Are you running for office in Malden? Contact Alex Newman at alex.newman@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Malden Patch.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

"Budget constraints," Fight to preserve critical services/programs/staff for the children

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

None. We're all caring parents.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

Immigrant, Naturalized citizen. Understanding the views of the heavily immigrant student population in our town.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Constant advocating and fighting over the years to maintain the schools quality. Biggest accomplishment was convincing the mayor and the city council to approve a $500,000 repair to some of our crumbling school buildings about 4 to 5 years back.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

"If you don't run, you can't win" To people complaining about the quality of officeholders in the past.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Army vet. Parent of three children. Homeowner in Malden. Roman Catholic. Trinidadian. St Vincent de Paul member. Advocate for retaining what few natural grass fields that we have left in our city.