Meet Jeffrey 'JJ' Jay, District 4 Candidate For Petaluma City Council

PETALUMA, CA—The upcoming Nov. 5 general municipal election is the second district-based election for the city of Petaluma. The city has been mapped into six districts with nearly equal populations.

Residents of each district vote for one eligible candidate to represent them on the City Council. Districts 1, 2 and 3 were the first three districts to elect district representatives in 2022. Districts 4, 5 and 6 will elect district representatives on Nov. 5.

Jeffrey "JJ" Jay and Frank Quint are the two candidates vying to represent District 4. Both candidates replied to a candidate questionnaire from Patch. See Jay's answers below and Quint's at this link.

Candidate Questionnaire With Jeffrey 'JJ' Jay

Full name: Jeffrey "JJ" Jay (but everyone calls me JJ)

Age: 64

Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio

Did you attend college? If so, where and what level of degree did you earn?

"Northern Illinois University, 1985, BS Theoretical Computer Science and Art Minor; Northwestern University, 1995, MS Computer Science in Graphics"

How long have you lived in Petaluma?

29 years

What is your party affiliation? Non-Party Preference

Have you ever held public office? If so, what, when and where?

Never held office.

Why did you decide to run for Petaluma City Council?

"At the time, there was no other candidate. Our district needed some representation and I decided to serve my community this way instead of serving as an election inspectors as I had done for previous 12 years."

What are the main issues facing your district?

• The BESS (Battery Energy Storage System).
• The condition of our streets and parks.
• How do we fit into the "15-minute" city plans?

Tell us about yourself and your family.

"Prior to moving to Petaluma, I wrote software for computer games (Penguin Software) and telephones (AT&T Bell Laboratories). We moved to Petaluma so I could work at Pixar, where I lead the software development for the Interactive Division. Since then, I've mostly worked at Dreamworks Animation except for a few years when I opened and ran Petaluma Hills Brewing Company. My wife, Debra Ann, has been teaching grade school in Petaluma for 28 years. All three of our adult children, Ryan, Austin and Alayna were raised here and still love our town."

Is there anything else you would like voters to know?

"I've served the community in prior rolls with Petaluma Youth Soccer and American Little League. I was also Cubmaster when my boys were scouts and I was on the board and hosted a couple of girls with the Chernobyl Children's Project (and non-profit that provided a 6-week respite from the nuclear poisons in Belarus). My hobbies include 3D printing, drone flying, kayaking, small electronic arts, and remodeling our home."

Please provide your campaign website and social media handles.

www.jjjay4petaluma.com
Instagram and Facebook: JJJay4Petaluma

What is the best way for voters to reach you?

email: jj@jjjay4petaluma.com