Jay was raised in Wilmington, Delaware. He lived in Dover when working for DNREC, before moving to Newark in 2010. He became acquainted with local politics when the power plant was proposed around 2014. He began serving on Council in 2020. He has no conflicts of interest and only wishes to help Newark improve a sustainable quality of life for its residents.
 
 Jay reviews council meeting agendas and gets questions answered ahead, so meeting time is reserved for concise statements of argument and public input. Jay has a vision of environmental sustainability, and to that end working toward a consensus stewardship plan. Jay believes in incentives for diverse, local businesses that foster respect among all individuals of our community. This should be achieved by balancing individual wants, needs, and responsibilities. Jay believes the city can lead in this effort, and promote good citizenship with a resilient economy.
 
 For more background info, Jay graduated from Friends School. While earning a BS in computer engineering at the Univ. of Colorado, he worked for DuPont Inc. He worked at the Naval Research Lab in DC. Volunteering at the Smithsonian NHM, studying at UMD, and working at the USDA Beltsville, inspired a scientific career in population ecology. He earned an MS from Kansas State and Ph.D. from UConn. Along with several teaching jobs and professional organizations, he worked in fisheries at DNREC and entomology for USDA in California's central valley and the Beneficial Insect Lab on UD's south campus. Field research entailed travel for work or adventure, e.g paddling the Amazon river. Jay's partner is Lelane Rossouw from South Africa. Lanie excels at art and swimming. They enjoy being with friends and family while eating, gardening, brewing, and camping.