Template:Infobox Politician
Raymond G. Ellis (better known as Ray Ellis) (born May 31, 1957) is a small business owner and community volunteer in San Diego, California. He is a 2016 candidate for San Diego City Council District 1. Ray is a moderate Republican, although council positions are officially nonpartisan per California state law. The district includes Carmel Valley, La Jolla, University City and other neighborhoods in the northwest part of the city of San Diego. He and his wife and youngest son live in Carmel Valley.
Life and career[]
Ray was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He graduated from Christopher Newport University,[1] where he lettered in basketball for four consecutive years and was Director of Intramural Sports. He worked throughout college, and during the summer of 1978 Ray and a friend started their first business renting Jet Skis.[2] Ray earned an MBA from Pepperdine University in 1983.
In 1985, Ray began his career as an Area Sales Manager at Westvaco in Los Angeles, CA. In 1987, Ray founded MC Direct, a full-service direct marketing company, where he held the position of CEO.[3] In 2001, Ray sold the company to Protocol Communications, Inc., where he would hold the position of President – Marketing Service Division until 2003.
Ray is an active leader in the San Diego community. He has served as Chair of the Board of Directors for Second Chance and as President of the San Diego City Employees Retirement System (SDCERS) Board of Administration. He is currently active with San Diego Social Venture Partners, The Parker Foundation, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation’s Strategic Roundtable, the Balboa Park Conservancy, San Diego Grantmakers, Del Mar Mesa Community Planning Board, Equinox Center, Lux Art Institute and Workforce Investment Board.
In 2012, Ray ran for San Diego City Council against incumbent Sherri Lightner. He won a plurality of votes in the June primary election[4] but was defeated in the November 2012 general election.
Ray has announced that he will run a second time for San Diego City Council in 2016. His campaign priorities include neighborhood issues such as road repair and other infrastructure maintenance, achieving economic and wage growth by making it easier to do business in the city, and environmental responsibility, especially with regard to establishing a reliable and sustainable water supply.