Editor’s note: This statement was submitted by Ramsey McGrory, who is running for election as Pelham Manor mayor on the Democratic and Pelham Manor Forward party lines. Click for the Pelham Manor Forward Party’s Facebook page.

I am running for Pelham Manor mayor and I am asking for your support.

As a business leader, technologist, son of a minister, veteran and product of the GI Bill, I will be a mayor who brings people together to set a new vision for Pelham Manor, grounded in fiscal, environmental and social sustainability; rooted in data, integrity and collaboration.

My family and I have lived in Pelham Manor since 2010. With two young children in New York City, we looked north for a home, great schools and a vibrant, involved community. A decade later, my wife Courtney and I are firmly planted in the community with three children attending elementary, middle and high schools.

In our community and beyond, I’ve coached basketball and soccer and tried every sport with our children (thank you Pelham Rec). We support the Picture House, Preservation Society, Stone Barns and Guiding Eyes for the Blind. We are members of Christ Church, and I served on the board of the Jericho Project, addressing homelessness and veterans’ issues. I advise several tech startups, and I enjoy tennis and fishing. On a quiet Sunday afternoon, you might find me in my garage tinkering with our old denim-blue Bronco.

Service is strong in my family. My father was an Episcopal minister, and my mother was a nurse. My father, brother and brother-in-law served in the Army and Air Force. I served in the Army for eight years with tours of duty in Germany and in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. In the Gulf War, I coordinated logistics for the largest forward-combat hospital for the Allied Forces, collaborating with the Kuwaiti government, residents and military units from dozens of countries. We moved 70 trailers full of hospital equipment from Saudi Arabia through the desert to set up the forward hospital in Kuwait City.

I went to school in the south, attending the University of the South, in Sewanee, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech in Atlanta for my masters. I paid for all of my school and worked several jobs, including working on some of the earliest thinking on internet banking in the mid 1990s. I worked in the 1992 presidential election coordinating all state and federal disclosure reporting for the Democratic Party of Georgia. I also worked on campaign events, coordinated GOTV efforts and met leaders such as Rep. John Lewis, Senator Sam Nunn, Rosa Parks and President Bill Clinton.

In 1997, I moved to NYC, where my mother and father had lived when they were a young couple. I have spent the last 20 years focused on building and transforming businesses using technology, data and a deep understanding of people and organizations. I have extensive business, technology and operations experience, and a successful track record of leading startups and large technology-oriented businesses. I have also invested in dozens of companies that focus on leveraging technology and data across industries to transform advertising, travel, legal, auto and other industries. I have built budgets managing revenue and expenses, and I have negotiated thousands of partnerships.

In my current role at Mediaocean, I am part of a leadership team transforming a 50+ year old software company. In five years, we’ve grown revenue and profitability each year, tripled profits, and were just named the top advertising technology company to work for by Ad Age. I’ve managed teams globally and across all functions. During COVID-19, we assessed the impact on our team and clients, then shifted strategies by reducing discretionary spending, pausing new hiring and re-training staff where needed. The focus on our community has strengthened the company, and we were not forced to furlough or fire anyone.

Pelham Manor is a unique village with a rich history and a long line of community members—teachers, coaches, non-profits, business owners, police, fire, public works and family members—who have made it the special place it is. I feel drawn to service in this unique time, and I have adjusted my work responsibilities to dedicate time locally.

Pelham Manor is also a village in motion. We have a large number of new residents who bring their own perspectives, talents and expectations. In the last ten years, there’s been a significant shift in the Pelham Manor political landscape, with the number of registered Democrats now far outweighing the number of registered Republicans. The single-party control of our Board does not reflect Pelham Manor today. I believe that the election of Democrats in March, for a bipartisan Board, will achieve the representative government that fits Pelham Manor’s history and present, and will help it move forward for a better future for all.

We are also increasingly reliant on technology, which has the potential to bring us closer together or to create deeper separation. I am committed to, and understand how to, use the best in technology to make government more immediate, transparent and accountable; to promote greater opportunity and access for all; and to create forums to collaborate, rather than take sides, on issues ranging from police reform, environmental sustainability and COVID-19.

Finally, we have fiscal challenges that require careful long-term planning to preserve our home values and community. We have seen stresses on our infrastructure, larger storms and increased flooding, and losses as well as opportunities in Pelham Manor commercial areas. Using long-term planning, data analysis and business principles we can better plan to meet these challenges, instead of merely responding to them. We can better tap the many talents and skills of our residents to collaborate on solutions. I believe this is the best way to minimize taxes, preserve home values, and help our community to thrive.

We face the challenge of building on and preserving our special community while adapting to new circumstances and opportunities. I believe Andrea, Lance and I represent the new voices, new experience and new leadership that will guide Pelham Manor into the future as a community. I’m asking you for your vote. I am asking you to help us make a better community. I look forward to the work ahead. I will bring my business, military, finance, operational, technology experience to the opportunities and challenges we face together.

Thrive. Together. Today. You can reach me at [email protected]. Visit us at www.PelhamManorForward.com, or follow us on FB: Pelham Manor Forward.