Editor's Note: As part of Kent Patch's local election coverage, we will provide profiles of each of the candidates running for office. These profiles will offer biographical and issue-oriented details about each of the candidates to help you, the voters, make more-informed decisions at the ballot box. We also will have a short video of each candidate that will help you learn more about them. Stay tuned for more coverage of the election. 

Name: Garret Ferrara

Age: 44

Occupation: Financial adviser

Education: Bachelor's degree in general studies, Kent State University; master's degree in business administration, Kent State University

Political Affiliation: Republican

Office Sought: Ward 1 Council

Previous Political Office Sought or Held: Ward 1 Council; first elected in 2000

Candidate Statement: I feel there’s some unfinished business I’d like to see finished. Namely the (Kent State University) hotel and conference center and the downtown project. I’ve been on the bandwagon since it started, and we’re right on the cusp of making it all happen. That was one of my biggest issues from the time I (first) ran.