The following is an excerpt from the candidate's website.Pastor Ray L. Smith was born and raised in Southeastern San Diego. Pastor Smith was an Associate Pastor at Mt. Erie Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Walter G. Wells for twenty-three years. Currently he is the Senior Pastor at United Missionary Baptist Church which he has served for the past eleven years.
Pastor Smith has faithfully served the 4th Council District championing causes for its greater good for over 35 years. It is fair to say that he is no “Johnny Come Lately” to serving this community with passion. Pastor Smith was the Executive Director of Triple Crown Youth & Adult Coalition, a program that provided training and jobs for at-risk youth and adults. Ray also created “High Hopes,” a community service provider re-entry program for the formerly incarcerated; assisting them in their transition back into the community as viable citizens.
Pastor Smith administered the first energy saving project in the 4th District, which distributed over 10,000 low flush toilets to its residents. During the administration of then Councilmember George Stevens, he served as the Community Liaison to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. Ray worked in tandem with the San Diego Police Department to eradicate drug houses and participated in community enhancement projects removing graffiti as well as weeds and debris from the streets of our community. On many occasions Ray walked in harms way confronting gang members to mitigate gang violence in order to make our communities safer. Pastor Smith organized the first West Coast Gang Conference initiating a truce between the “The Crips” and “The Bloods” gang sets.
Pastor Ray Smith has exhibited strong leadership and will continue to do so at the City Government level with your support. He will not be controlled by special interest groups and will work diligently to insure that the 4th District Residents receive their equitable share of city services. Pastor Smith shares a set of shared values of the common folks of the 4th District, and it is his commitment to giving ordinary people the opportunity to make a difference and have an impact on City Government. He will be a strong voice in the fight for better Public Health & Safety, Business Development and Gainful Employment.
