John Gray (Oshawa politician)

John Gray (born March 20, 1959) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a councillor for city of Oshawa and the Regional Municipality of Durham from 1994 to 2003 and then served as mayor of Oshawa from 2003 to 2010.

Gray was raised in Whitby, Ontario. He graduated from Henry Street High School and went on to study financial accounting at Centennial College in Toronto, Ontario. He was employed at ANDEC Manufacturing Ltd. as a financial controller.

Gray served as a Councillor for both the city of Oshawa and the Regional Municipality of Durham for nine years prior to being elected as mayor in November 2003. In 2003 he ran for mayor and defeated four-term incumbent Nancy Diamond leading with 40% of the vote in a five candidate race.

Gray was re-elected for a second term in 2006 but was defeated in 2010 by local businessman, John Henry.

In March 2011, Gray turned down an offer to run for the Liberals in the 2011 federal election. He cited family considerations in his decision. Gray now works as a solar energy consultant and as a municipal project management consultant.