Gray Succeeds Tuck, One Regional Leader for Another, Producing a Seamless Transition in Hampton

This month Hampton officially changed mayors, replacing one regional citizen with another. 

Jimmy Gray/Donnie Tuck

After two terms, Donnie Tuck chose not to seek reelection. His vice mayor Jimmy Gray ran and won handily. A Durham native and Duke grad (with a master’s in public administration from ODU), Tuck, once a TV news reporter, became one of the area’s most industrious public servants during his 14 years on Hampton Council. He was chair of two regional transportation bodies (HRTPO and HRTAC) and its military advisory group (HRMFFA) and took the lead on regional approaches to attacking youth violence. 

Jimmy Gray has been all over Hampton Roads. Born and raised in Portsmouth, he was a firefighter in Chesapeake for 26 years, rising to Division Chief, before moving to Hampton to become first its fire chief and then its deputy city manager. He retired in 2014 to run and win two terms on City Council. “I love doing regional work,” says Gray, a TCC and HU grad who chairs the 200 + Men and Fort Monroe Foundations and partnered with Mayor Tuck on finding solutions to youth crime including recruiting “credible messengers” to interact with teens. 

At FHR, we are pleased that Hampton, which saw a reduction in murders in 2024 and an increase in high school graduation rates and school accreditations, is on an upward trajectory with one Forward Thinker having earned a rest but a second one now in place to maintain continuity and progress.