About

Ray was born and raised in the West End of Albany to Harold & Peg Joyce. His father Harold Joyce was an electrician and Business Agent for the IBEW Local 724, President of the Tri City Building Trades, Ward Leader for Albany’s 12th Ward, Chairman of Albany County Legislature and Chairman of Albany County Democratic Committee. His mother Peg was a teacher at Blessed Sacrament, helped institute Sunday religious education programs at Blessed Sacrament, helped young mothers graduate high school through her work at Catholic Charities, Community Maternity Services program on North Main and mostly kept tight charge of a very busy household.

Ray is the oldest of 5 children who all still call Albany County their home; Amy, Maggie, Matthew and Andrew. He attended neighborhood schools; P.S.16 (now Pine Hills Academy) and Blessed Sacrament School and Christian Brother Academy (CBA). He went on to earn an AAS in Civil Engineering, BS in Business and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he completed an International Residency in Beijing and Shanghai in 2008.

With family residing in the neighborhood for five generations, Ray still calls the neighborhood he was born and raised as home. Ray married Cara McCann of Clifton Park, a graduate of Shenendehowa High School, SUNY Binghamton and SUNY Albany where she completed her Master of Arts and currently works as a Substitute Teacher at Pine Hills Academy. Ray and Cara have a daughter, Maeve, currently in 3rd grade at Montessori Magnet School of the Albany Public Schools.

Ray is a 30-year employee of National Grid. In the mid-90s, Ray served as an Account Manager for Albany, managing some of the utility’s largest construction projects including; New York State Dormitory Authority (DASNY), NYS Comptrollers building, 11 North Pearl and the Crossgates Mall expansion. For the past 18 years, Ray has worked as Lead Supervisor of the Eastern Regional Control Center for NYS, managing an operation responsible for the 24/7 monitor, control, dispatch, emergency planning and emergency response of National Grid’s sub-transmission, substations and distribution systems for 600,000 of National Grid’s 1.5 million customers in upstate New York.

Service to the community was a value instilled in Ray through his father and grandfather Ray Joyce Sr at a very young age. While still in High School he volunteered for the Albany County Democratic Committee and collected his first petitions along Lincoln Avenue as a committee person over 30 years ago. Later he served as Ward Leader for the 12th Ward and currently serves as Ward Leader for the 13th Ward.

Ray was an early member of the Albany County Young Democrats, co-founded the Albany County United Democrats and served on the youth committee member to the Hickey Commission which drafted what would become the by-laws of the Albany County Democratic Committee.

In 2004 Ray was elected to the Albany County Legislature succeeding his Father, Harold. During his tenure on the County Legislature he served on the following committees where he’s given his passion and commitment to making the county a better place to live and work for all:

Health Committee, Chairman
Labor Outreach, Chairman
Audit and Finance, Member
Personnel, Member
Nursing Home, Past Member
Elder Care, Past Member
Mass Transit, Past Member

With his family’s deep roots in the neighborhood, Ray has always given back to the community that his family has called home for so long. Whether he is serving a ministry at his church, volunteering for children’s sports and school programming, participating in the arts, honoring our veterans, fighting for social injustice or feeding the homeless. Ray has continued to pay it forward by giving his time, treasure and talent to a community he loves and calls home.

His grandfather, Ray Sr., would often say, “before you tell them what you’ll do, show them what you’ve done”. The following are just a few of the community organizations and programs Ray has been actively involved in and volunteers his time to for our community;

Lifelong Parishioner of Blessed Sacrament Parish

o Eucharistic Minister

o Holy Names Society - President

o Blessed Sacrament School Board - Member

o Blessed Sacrament Finance Committee - Member

Albany Youth Soccer - Coach

Westland Hills Little League – Assistant Coach and Volunteer

Montessori Magnet School – Volunteer

Ancient Order of Hibernians Fr Tansey Division 5 - Member

Upper Madison Improvement Group – Veterans Monument Project

Please Remember Me Veterans Organization - Volunteer

Pine Hills Academy Wall Mural Project

Steamer 10 Theatre - Complete the Castle

New York State Special Olympics

Italian American Community Center - Member

Friends of the Madison

City of Albany Special Events Office - Volunteer Coordinator

Albany Elks Lodge 49 - Member

Niagara Mohawk National Grid Community Action Team

Hugh O’Brien Youth Foundation - Counselor

Equinox

St Patrick’s Outreach

Martin Luther King Jr Commission and Institute for Nonviolence

Friends of Westland Hills

Albany Junior Chamber of Commerce - Past President and Chairman

Comm. Resource Fed. Credit Union Supervisory Committee - Past Chair

Ray is an accessible, hands-on representative, most proud to have worked directly on issues and concerns impacting our neighborhoods. Partnering with Albany Common Council Members, Neighborhood Associations, local organizations and advocates on matters that challenge the quality of life of our neighborhoods, Ray has played an active role in addressing the some of the most challenging issues affecting our neighborhood;

Addressing the solid waste cleanup along Rte. 85 from Lily Street.
Working with the Albany Police on traffic calming along Austain Avenue.
Lobbied against an absentee landlord on Allen St and Cleveland St properties.
Spoke against the proposed Charter School designated for Bradford Street.
Coordinated the lighting of the Veterans Monument for Upper Madison.
Requested NYSDOT and CDTC prohibit truck traffic along Lincoln corridor to and from Rt 85.
Petitioned for road and sidewalk repairs along Melrose Avenue.
Worked with Central BID to lobby for federal aid for Central Avenue and address quality of life concerns along The Avenue.

A member of Friends of the Madison, instrumental in saving the historic Madison Theater.
Working with the Department of Health on the Melrose combined sewer overflow concerns.
Spoke against the Plasma Center proposed for Hannaford Plaza.
Called for greater accountability and investigation into cancer rates around NL Industries.
Sponsored resolution to address Everett Road water runoff in West Albany.
Met with neighbors and resolved frequent power outages affecting Manning Blvd and North Pine.
Worked with the city to ensure car dealerships bordering King Avenue properties replant privacy trees and shrubs that were clear cut.
Worked with law enforcement to identify & address a Central Avenue and Winthrop Avenue property involved in narcotics.
Addressed the gambling operation on Allen Street and the safety concerns it raised for residents along Buchanan.
Worked with city representatives to require BBL cleanup neighborhoods affected by the Patroon Creek construction.