Raymond Mariano

Infobox Mayor
name = Ray Mariano


caption =
order = Mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts
term_start = 1993
term_end = 2001
predecessor = Jordan Levy
successor = Tim Murray
birth_date = September 23, 1950
birth_place = Worcester, Massachusetts
death_date =
death_place =
constituency =
party = Democratic
spouse = Antonia K. Mariano
profession = Executive Director of the Worcester Housing Authority
religion = Roman Catholic


footnotes =

Raymond V. Mariano (born 1950), better known as Ray Mariano, is the current Executive Director of the Worcester Housing Authority. Prior to his service as Executive Director of the WHA, Ray served as Mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Early Life and Education

Born in 1950, Raymond Mariano is the oldest of nine children, the son of an immigrant mother and a disabled veteran father. He grew up in one of the state’s largest public housing projects, Great Brook Valley.

Ray graduated with a BA from Worcester State College and holds an MPA from Clark University (1982). Ray has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at several New England colleges and universities. His teaching includes both government and management courses.

Family

Ray is married to the former Antonia Kouvaros, a teacher in the Worcester Public Schools. The couple has three children, Gina-Marie, Raymond Jr., and Anthony.

Political career

Early Political Career

In 1974, at the age of 24, Ray became a candidate for the Worcester School Committee placing 7th in a very competitive election. He was elevated to fill a term of a retiring member on October 1, 1977. He was re-elected to the School Committee in 1977 and again in 1979.

In 1981, Ray became the first member of the Worcester School Committee to ever win election to another office on his first try when he was elected to the Worcester City Council. In 1985, he was elected, by his colleagues to serve as Vice Chairman of the City Council.

Mayor of Worcester

In 1993, Ray was elected as Mayor of the City of Worcester, Massachusetts at the time the second largest city in New England. He was reelected in 1995, 1997 and 1999. In 1997, he was elected by the largest proportion of any Mayor in Worcester’s history. (He was elected with the second largest percentage in the city's history in 1995.) He did not seek reelection in 2001. He held the position of mayor longer than anyone else in the City’s history under Plan E government and is one of only two mayor’s in the City’s history to serve four consecutive terms.

Accomplishments as Mayor

As Mayor, Ray has several accomplishments to his name. He established a highly successful committee focusing on gang and youth violence and at-risk youth. Ray personally led an effort in 2000 which created the largest summer jobs program in the City’s history creating more than 2000 jobs for at-risk young people. He also created “Operation Clean City”, a city-wide beautification program, which won an award for innovation from the Massachusetts Municipal Association. Included in this effort was the Mayor’s College Clean-Up program which collected nearly 240 tons of illegal debris in 5 years and involved thousands of students from area colleges. He also brought home the first federal grant for the rehabilitation of Union Station and led efforts to build a new convention center (now the Worcester DCU Center). Perhaps his most well-known endeavor, Ray was mayor and led the City during the tragic fire that claimed the life of 6 local firefighters.

Professional career

In 1984 and continuing through 2003, Ray worked as a marketing and management consultant with clients throughout the Northeast. He also served as a political consultant to local, state, and national candidates across the country. He has worked on the presidential campaigns of Henry "Scoop" Jackson George McGovern, Al Gore, and many others.

Executive Director of the Worcester Housing Authority

In 2003, he became Executive Director of the Worcester Housing Authority. This agency serves 5,000 families in 24 separate communities and is home to approximately 15,000 people. Under his leadership the agency has reduced crime by 50-75%. The agency, under Ray, has also dramatically improved the physical condition of all property and reduced maintenance response time by 75% and developed a 90+% satisfaction rate as measured by customer survey responses.