Groomes came to Carson from East Palo Alto, a suburb of San Francisco, where he served as city manager for five years. During his tenure with East Palo Alto, community development flourished and the crime rate decreased. He is credited with attracting major retail, commercial and residential projects to the city.

A native of Philadelphia, Jerry graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Groomes holds a master's degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh and attended Yale University and Occidental College as a National Urban Fellow. His local government career began over 20 years ago in Philadelphia. He has served as airport manager for the City of San Diego and president of the Southeast Economic Development Corporation, a quasi-public organization established by the City of San Diego, prior to accepting the position at East Palo Alto.
 

Groomes and his family live in Carson, a city they truly believe has a "FUTURE UNLIMITED."