Politics & Government

Ward 1 Kent Council Only Contested Race Today

Incumbent Garret Ferrara faces challenger Melissa Long

Only one of the six ward races for is contested today.

Incumbent Ward 1 representative , a Republican, faces Democratic challenger .

Ferrara, 44, first elected in 2000, works as a financial adviser. He holds a bachelor's degree in general studies from and a master's degree in business administration from Kent State.

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Ferrara said previously he wants to stay on council to see through the ongoing downtown redevelopment efforts.

"Namely the and the downtown project," he said. "I’ve been on the bandwagon since it started, and we’re right on the cusp of making it all happen."

Find out what's happening in Kentwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Long, 74, is a member of the Kent Planning Commission. She previously served four years as mayor of Cortland, OH, and as a member of Cortland City Council for 12 years.

She said previously the city needs to balance its budget along with spurring redevelopment.

"I’ve been on the planning commission now for four years," she said. "I would like to see the plans that are being brought to the city for all the downtown development come to fruition. I feel that I could probably, from this point on, be more productive in the legislative end of city government."

Also today, Kent voters will decide the fate of a .

The other city council races — for Wards 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 — will see at the ballot box. The same goes for the two Kent City Schools Board of Education seats on the ballot.


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