Six things you don't know about Mayor Jay Ruais
Jan. 7—JAY RUAIS IS bald. You can learn that just by looking at him.
He started his political career in Manchester as an intern before joining political campaigns and nonprofits in Washington, D.C. His wife is Peruvian and he's part of the Army National Guard.
He's been sober for more than a decade and has dedicated his life to public service. Now, he's the first Republican to lead the city since 2017.
That can all be found on his Linkedin profile and the many articles already written about him and his looming tenure as the city's mayor.
On Wednesday, the Union Leader spent some time getting to know Ruais outside his political involvement, mayoral candidacy and nonprofit work.
1. Ruais's astrological sign is Virgo, which he says means he's deliberate, not spontaneous. Before he makes a decision, he analyzes the potential outcomes, benefits and challenges. But he's an August Virgo, he says, which makes him more in touch with his emotions than a September Virgo.
2. He met his wife, Veronica, while he was working as the chief of staff for a nonprofit where she was the finance director, he said. The most exotic place he's traveled is Lima, Peru, where Veronica is from and where her family still lives. Ruais hasn't traveled as much as he'd like and wants to visit Normandy, France, and Rome, Italy for their historical influences.
3. In his free time, Ruais likes to read about military history and historic events in the form of biographies and autobiographies. One of the best books he's read is "Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose, which follows the men of Easy Company from their training as paratroopers at Camp Toccoa in 1942 until the company was disbanded in 1945 in the months following the end of World War II and America's ultimate victory over Hitler's Germany.
"It's a fascinating tale of leadership under hard and difficult conditions and how people work together in those situations," Ruais said. "I'm a firm believer that the only situation that is new is in the history you haven't read. You can take a lot of the lessons learned from some of these situations and employ them."
He's currently reading "And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle" by Jon Meacham.
4. The most interesting person Ruais has met is his wife.
"She has an amazing story of growing up during a very difficult time in Peru's history and what led her to immigrate to the United States," he said.
He's met many politicians, including George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Mike Pence, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Joe Kennedy III.
5. In high school, Ruais ran cross country and played basketball. In college, he was an amateur boxer and faced fighters from other military academies, like Virginia Military Institute, the Coast Guard and West Point.
Wanting to challenge himself, Ruais was drawn to the sport for its discipline and the athleticism and endurance it takes to be successful.
"It was something about the discipline required of it that I really appreciated," Ruais said. "Getting into a ring with a competitor in front of several hundred people is a very challenging experience and one that can fill you with a lot of nerves and anxiety. You have to control those emotions in the ring, and I wanted to undertake that."
6. A year ago, Ruais challenged himself further with a 50K ultra-marathon (about 31 miles). At the time, he had never run more than a half-marathon, but the challenge appealed to him.
He was supposed to run the ultra-marathon with the Marine Corps, but it was canceled because of the pandemic. So Ruais and a National Guard captain ran the distance themselves around his hometown in Salem. It took them nearly five hours.
"The beautiful thing about running is you can use that time to think about anything, it's a great way to clear the mind and reduce stress," Ruais said. "It's just you and the road. Candidly though, running that long a distance after a while, the most common question your mind asks is, 'When is this going to end?'"
Jamie Costa covers the city of Manchester for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. Reach her at jcosta@unionleader.com.
