Correction: In a previous version of this story, we mistakenly reported that the late Naomi Bray was the only woman to have served on the Clay Town Board. Three women preceded Bray on the town board: Judy Fitzpatrick, Jean Centore and Lois Yauchy. We apologize for the error. Thank you to Don MacLaughlin for bringing this to our attention.
By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
Longtime Clay Town Councilor Naomi Bray passed away Nov. 21. She was 84.
Bray, who served on the Clay Town Board from 1994 to 2017, was one of only four women to serve on the board. She was instrumental in the rehabilitation of the Three Rivers area, a former brownfield, and led the creation of Clay’s Northern Land Use Study, which has governed development north of Route 31.
Naomi Ruth Bray was born Jan. 28, 1935, in Kewanee, Illinois. She married Harry Bray in 1970 and the couple moved to Clay three years later. Harry Bray passed away in 1989.
Bray worked for State Sen. Tarky Lombardi Jr., the predecessor of John DeFrancisco, and later became regional representative for Gov. George Pataki.
Bray was appointed in 1994 to fill the seat of Clay Town Councilor Bob McQuatters, who passed away in 1993.
Clay Deputy Supervisor Joe Bick said Bray was “almost visionary” in her role in town government. He cited her work on Three Rivers and the Northern Land Use Study.
“It really laid out a blueprint to guide how we want to see the town going forward. By and large, we still stay true to that study and it’s 10 years old now,” Bick said.
Sarah Hall, Clay resident and former editor of the Star-Review, commented on Bray’s impact on the town.
“This town would not be what it is without Naomi Bray. She was a force to be reckoned with. She was the driving force behind the Three Rivers project, which is finally starting to see some progress, and it breaks my heart that she’ll never see her vision come to fruition,” Hall told the Star-Review.
Hall said Bray’s departure from the town board was “a real loss” for Clay. Bray lost her re-election bid in 2017.
“She helped to shape the town in so many ways. It was a real loss for this town when she left the board because she just brought so much knowledge and passion. During board meetings, she was never just a rubber-stamp vote or a sycophant — I always got the impression she genuinely cared and she asked probing questions to make sure she was voting in the best interests of the town,” Hall said.
Bray served as chair of the Clay Republican Committee for over 30 years.
“She was responsible for all the major political victories of my lifetime,” said Bick.
While politics can be a dirty game in some towns, Bray rose above the fray.
“She was really methodical about her approach to governing, getting elected,” Bick said. “There’s not a lot of mudslinging in our campaigns. We never had to do that because of how well the town was run. We could run on our accomplishments.”
North Syracuse Deputy Mayor Diane Browning said Bray was a mentor who saw past party lines. (Browning is a Democrat.)
“Sometimes she had different opinions than I did, but she was easy to work with,” Browning said.
Bick said Bray was “considerate for everyone who lives in the town — not Republicans, not Democrats.”
“She was very much for the people,” Browning said.
Politics aside, Hall said, Naomi Bray “was just a great lady.”
“She had a great sense of humor, a great sense of history. If I had a question about anything related to the town, she was always my first go-to,” Hall said. “I can’t picture the town without her.”
