About Ray

Ray lives in Hingham with his wife, Jen, and their four children, who attend the public schools of this wonderful community.

Ray received his bachelor’s degree in government and politics from Saint John’s University in New York, and earned his law degree at night from Suffolk University Law School while working full-time.  Ray practices law in Boston and has been active in its legal community.  He has also engaged in various pro-bono endeavors over the years and served for several years as a trustee, officer and counsel to the Puppet Showplace Theatre, a non-profit performing arts/educational organization in Brookline.

In addition to his professional and pro-bono work, Ray has been a youth soccer, baseball, basketball, and football coach since 2007.  Ray has also volunteered at Plymouth River School, serving as a team leader for its Math Olympiad as well as a guest-reader whenever he’s asked.  Ray is also a four-time veteran of the annual PRS 4th grade Cape Cod trip, leading as both as a chaperone and as an instructor, accompanying his children and their classmates as they explored the tides, dunes, and salt marshes of Brewster.

A veteran of many challenging budget seasons, Ray has gained valuable experience working with other Town officials to strike the appropriate balance between the provision of services and available resources.  Ray has served as an officer of the School Committee, elected by his fellow members, for four of his six years, first as Secretary, then as Vice Chairman, and finally as Chairman for two consecutive years.  During that time, Ray participated in regular financial forecast meetings, gaining a comprehensive understanding of municipal finance and the interplay among Town departments and their respective fiscal needs.

Ray is very proud of his work on the new Middle School project.  As the appointed Chairman of the School Building Committee since May 2011, he worked with his fellow committee members to ensure the successful execution and completion of the project on time and nearly $4.5 million under the Town Meeting appropriation.  Ray took the lead to bring full-day Kindergarten to Hingham in 2015.  He first spoke publicly on the issue in 2009, before running for the first time, when his disappointment at the Town’s decision not to pursue the initiative gave rise to his long-term goal, now finally realized.  Ray is also proud of his work as a member of the “Group of Five” who worked on behalf of the Town with Father Bill’s and Mainspring in the development of independent, supportive housing for US Veterans.  Ray also played a leading role in the planning, development and construction of the High School Fields Project and was honored to help the much-needed improvements become a reality.

The next three years will bring new challenges.  While the Town’s general financial outlook continues to be bright, slowing economic growth threatens to reduce available resources to fund much-needed aspects of the school budget.  Other issues will require heightened attention as well, including the evolution of standardized testing from MCAS to the PARCC-infused MCAS 2.0, ever-increasing state mandates imposed without regard to cost or personnel impact, and the negotiation of new contracts, among other things.  Addressing these matters will require a serious, thoughtful, and creative public servant with the experience and measured approach to do what is hard and achieve what is great for our children.  Ray looks forward to continuing as a member of the School Committee and asks for your support on April 30th.