Jason Grow for Gloucester - Councilor At Large 2025

I’m pleased to announce that I will once again be on your ballot this November for one of four At-Large City Council seats. I hope you will choose to return me to office so I can continue working on the challenging issues that affect Gloucester’s long-term well-being.

Our city motto: “Build not for today alone but for tomorrow as well” isn’t just a slogan; it’s a call to consider our community’s future beyond our time here.

Some may interpret this as a directive to maintain the status quo. I see it as a challenge to think seriously about what we leave for our children, and our grandchildren. It's about shaping a community where our children can thrive and want to return to raise theirs, where they can work locally instead of spending hours commuting. Small businesses struggle to find workers because affordable housing is scarce. Seniors struggle to stay where they have raised their families because there is not enough housing stock to downsize.

It’s also about building an education system that exceeds basic requirements and truly prepares our youth for their futures. As a parent of three daughters who graduated from Gloucester Schools, I’ve seen firsthand the profound impact our dedicated teachers and staff have on students’ success. I want the same for your children and grandchildren. I absolutely support funding our schools at the levels that achieve excellence. 

We must directly confront the housing affordability crisis. My wife and I could not afford to buy our current home even with middle-class incomes. While we can't fix everything nationwide, we can work to fix here. The way we build today will determine whether our community remains accessible to future generations or becomes a destination for the wealthy.

I also view this as a mandate to build an inclusive community. Gloucester has thrived thanks to successive waves of newcomers—English, Finns, Irish, Portuguese, Italians and Sicilians, Venezuelans and Brazilians—each contributing their culture and values. We are stronger together, learning from one another and supporting our neighbors. It’s not complicated: listen, respect, and recognize that we all have something valuable to contribute.

Here are the critical issues I believe we must address to shape a better tomorrow:

1. Housing Affordability: We need to keep young families here and create opportunities for seniors who raised their families to downsize. We must prioritize homes for our working families over multi-million-dollar mansions.

2. Excellence in Education: I have always supported funding for our schools and advocated for our teachers. A strong education system is essential.

3. Economic Development: Balancing our working waterfront, tourism, and attracting well-paying industries is a complex task, but it’s essential for our community's vibrancy. People prefer to work where they live, and businesses can’t thrive without a robust workforce.

4. Fiscal Responsibility: With changes to the federal fiscal landscape, the city will face some difficult decisions, not only in terms of the city budget, but many of our citizens and local businesses will be impacted by cuts to the social safety net, economic investment, and tariffs. 

5. Climate Resiliency: As a community that thrives on the ocean, we need to ensure we are taking steps to protect our home with investments in sustainable energy, building and other measures and act locally on this global issue. 

In addition to the big-picture issues, I, working collaboratively with my colleagues, will continue to be responsive to constituents’ concerns and problems that impact us all every day. 

With nearly eight years of experience on the Council, I understand the challenges we face and the consequences of our decisions. I take the responsibility entrusted to me by the residents of Gloucester very seriously, and I ask for one of your votes.

If you want to help with the campaign, host a sign, a coffee or make a contribution, just send me a note jg4gloucester@gmail.com or call 978.884.7964.

Thank you,

Jason