Paul Ray Explained

Paul Ray
State House:Utah
District:13th
Term Start:January 1, 2005
Term End:December 15, 2021
Predecessor:Dana C. Love
Successor:Karen Peterson
Term Start1:January 1, 2001
Term End1:December 31, 2002
Successor1:Dana C. Love
Office3:Member of Clinton City Council
Term Start3:2002
Term End3:2005
Birth Date:25 October 1966[1]
Birth Place:Peru, Indiana, U.S.
Party:Republican
Residence:Clearfield, Utah, U.S.

Paul Ray is an American businessman, politician, and former law enforcement officer who served as a member of the Utah House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, Ray represented the 13th district covering a portion of Davis County, Utah.

Early life and education

Ray was born in Peru, Indiana. He graduated from Peru High School in 1985 and took medicine courses at Indiana University Bloomington from 1985 to 1988.

Career

Ray served as a police officer from 1987 to 1988 and also as the branch manager of a bank from 1988 to 1995. He works as the CEO for the Northern Wasatch Home Builders Association.[2]

Politics

Ray was a candidate for the Utah House of Representatives in 1998 but was not elected. He joined the Utah House in 2001 and served in that position until 2003. He ran unsuccessfully for re-election in 2002. He was elected on November 2, 2004, and last elected in 2014.[3]

Ray championed a 2019 law that prevents cities from setting up citizen review boards to oversee local police departments.[4]

In 2021, Ray defended a gerrymandered redistricting map proposal that was heavily tilted in favor of Republicans. The map broke up Utah's liberal urban areas, thus benefiting Republicans. Ray defended the proposed boundaries as "a good balance of urban-rural mix."[5]

Ray resigned as a representative on December 15, 2021 to take a new role as Legislative Affairs with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.[6] He was replaced by Karen Peterson during a special election of the Davis County Republican Party.[7]

Personal life

Ray lives in Clinton, Utah, with his wife, Julie, and their four children.[8]

On December 28, 2021, Ray was hospitalized for a cerebral hemorrhage and underwent surgery to alleviate bleeding in the brain.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Paul Ray . Project Vote Smart . December 21, 2019.
  2. Web site: Paul Ray . Paul Ray . Salt Lake City, UT . April 10, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140105123054/http://votepaulray.com/ . January 5, 2014.
  3. Web site: Paul Ray . Project Vote Smart . Philipsburg, Montana . April 10, 2014.
  4. News: Rodgers . Bethany . Utah lawmakers push back on ideas for preventing police shootings . August 7, 2020 . The Salt Lake Tribune . August 7, 2020.
  5. Web site: McKellar. Katie. 2021-11-08. Utah redistricting: Despite cries of cracking communities, lawmakers select their own maps over independent ones. 2021-11-10. Deseret News. en.
  6. Web site: Dunphey. Kyle. 2021-12-02. Longtime Utah representative, House chair of redistricting committee, leaves Legislature for state job. 2022-10-05. Deseret News. en.
  7. Web site: Rodgers. Bethany. 2021-12-18. Utah governor’s legislative liaison Karen Peterson to replace Paul Ray in Utah House. 2022-10-05. Salt Lake Tribune. en.
  8. Web site: Paul Ray. April 10, 2014. Project Vote Smart. Philipsburg, MT.
  9. Web site: Former Utah lawmaker hospitalized in ‘very serious condition’. Desert News. January 19, 2022.

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