Jay Ash

Early career Ash began his career in government in 1984 as an aide to state representative Richard A. Voke. From 1991 to 1996 Ash served as Voke's staff director, who was then the House Majority Leader. In 1996, Voke was defeated in his effort to become Speaker of the House and decided not to run for reelection. Ash then accepted an offer to become Chelsea's Executive Director of Planning and Development. During Ash's tenure as head of Planning and Development, Chelsea attracted sixteen new economic development projects, including the construction of a $17 million, 180-room luxury hotel by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and built seven new public schools and several new parks. On August 16, 2000, after three weeks of debate and thirteen rounds of voting, Ash was appointed City Manager by a 7 to 4 vote after councilor Calvin T. Brown changed his vote in order to end the standoff.

Tenure During Ash's tenure as City Manager, Chelsea saw a number of new development projects, including the construction of Market Basket's flagship supermarket, a local FBI headquarters, new office spaces, several new hotels, 2,000 new housing units, and several apartment buildings, including the One North of Boston luxury apartment complex which included a yoga studio, outdoor pool, and dog day care. Due to its proximity to Boston and lower cost of living, Chelsea saw an influx of new residents, including young professionals. Ash worked to connect Chelsea to the MBTA's Silver Line bus service. Ash was also a supporter of the city's large immigrant community. He issued permits for pro-immigration marches and greeted demonstrators when they marched past City Hall, supported the City Council's decision to declare Chelsea a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants, and welcomed migrant children to the city during the 2014 American immigration crisis. Although Ash did not hire McLaughlin and was never implicated in any wrongdoing at the authority, he did appoint the board tasked with overseeing him.

The Boston Globe jointly named Ash, John Barros, Steve Kadish, and Dan Koh its 2016 "Bostonians of the Year", crediting them with having been behind the deal which brought General Electric's headquarters to the city, each having done so, "with marching orders from their bosses".

After serving in the Baker administration for nearly four years, Ash announced on December 18, 2018 that he would be stepping down from the position effective December 28, 2018 to become CEO of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, a nonprofit organization of local industry leaders that promotes economic growth in Massachusetts. Ash was replaced by Mike Kennealy on January 2, 2019. Kennealy previously served as Ash's assistant secretary for business growth.