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Election 2011

Monday, December 5, 2011

Ferrara Relieved now that Ward 1 Election is Over

Portage elections board holds recount after 7-vote margin of victory

The November election is finally over for Ward 1 Kent City Councilman Garret Ferrara, who was confirmed as the winner of the election for the Ward 1 seat after this morning's recount by the Portage County Board of Elections. Ferrara said that while he expected the Nov. 8 results to be upheld it was a big relief to have his win certified by the Portage County Board of Elections. "There's always that uncertainty," Ferrara said. "You know everyone kept saying they [the election results] don't change. But there's always that exception. You don't want to be that exception." Democratic challenger Melissa Long said she expected the results to favor Ferrara. "A recount very seldom shows a great deal of difference," Long said. She handed out a …

Recount Confirms Ferrara Winner of Ward 1 Council Race

Portage elections board holds recount after 7-vote margin of victory

The November election is finally over for Kent City Councilman Garret Ferrara, who was confirmed as the winner of the election for the Ward 1 seat after this morning's recount by the Portage County Board of Elections. Ferrara defeated Democratic challenger Melissa Long by less than 10 votes. Look for updates to this story later today on Kent Patch.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Ferrara Humbled by Close, Prolonged Council Race

Ward 1 incumbent won't know if he retains his seat officially until Monday

For Garret Ferrara, the race for the Ward 1 Kent City Council seat is far from over. The incumbent Republican learned Tuesday that the final, official vote count for the Nov. 8 election by the Portage County Board of Elections — including 33 provisional ballots — gives him the win over his Democratic challenger Melissa Long. Ferrara received 764 votes to Long's 757, according to the elections board. But the narrow, seven-vote margin of victory triggered an automatic recount, which the elections board will conduct at 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 5, in Ravenna. Final, but unofficial results from 21 days ago on election night, which excluded the provisional ballots counted Tuesday, showed Ferrara had a 10-vote lead that wouldn't have required a …

Diane Stresing

11:22 am on Saturday, December 3, 2011

Kent has a history of close elections, going past the recent coin-toss mayoral decision back to the 1860s, when mayor John Thompson beat runner-up Luther Parmelee by 2 votes. (I'm no historian; I researched that factoid when writing 60 Hikes/Cleveland.) I think it's a loud & clear reminder that regardless of what the tally is, an elected official is there to SERVE ALL constituents. Ferrara can …   more ›

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Ferrara Edges out Long in Ward 1 Race; Recount Scheduled

Ward 1 Kent City Council race results from November general election

The race for Kent City Council's Ward 1 seat is one step closer to having a winner. The Portage County Board of Elections counted 33 provisional ballots today that show incumbent Republican Garret Ferrara has a seven-vote lead over his Democratic challenger, Melissa Long. The provisional ballots were counted as part of the election board's certification of the results from the Nov. 8 election, which had shown Ferrara with a 10-vote lead over Long. As of today, Ferrara received 764 votes to Long's 757, according to the elections board. But the seven-vote margin means a recount will be held to confirm the vote tally. The official recount has been scheduled for Monday, Dec. 5, at 8 a.m. in the Portage County Administration Building in Ravenna…

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

33 Provisional Ballots in Ward 1 Could Change Council Race

Votes won't be counted until the end of the month

The outcome of the Ward 1 Kent City Council race just got a new variable: 33 provisional ballots. Republican Kent City Councilman Garret Ferrara narrowly retained his seat by a mere 10 votes in last week's election, but the provisional ballots could potentially change the outcome of the race. Ferrara received 754 votes and his competitor, Democrat Melissa Long, got 744 of the 1,498 votes cast on election day, according to final but unofficial results from the Portage County Board of Elections. There are several scenarios that could change the outcome of the race and oust the incumbent. The race could even end in a tie if 10 voted for Ferrara and the other 20 voted for Long. Portage County Board of Elections Director Linda Marcial said …

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Elliott Ingersoll

1:01 pm on Wednesday, November 16, 2011

While people may not want to share their voting record in a public forum this definitely could change the results. It would be interesting to hear from people who cast votes based on issues (e.g. perceptions of the developer who bought the hotel; the types of businesses being attracted and the types being discouraged by rents).   more ›

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

UPDATE: No Recount — Yet — in Ward 1 Kent Council Race

Incumbent Garret Ferrara's lead is greater than recount threshold

Editor's note: this story was updated with comments from Melissa Long at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday's narrow win for Ward 1 Kent City Councilman Garret Ferrara, who retained his seat by 10 votes, was just enough to avoid an automatic recount based on unofficial results from the Portage County Board of Elections. The incumbent Republican defeated his Democratic challenger Melissa Long by a vote of 754 to 744. Ferrara's 10-vote lead is big enough that elections officials don't have to conduct an official recount — yet. Linda Marcial, director of the Portage County Board of Elections, said a margin of victory in a race has to be within 0.05 percent of the total votes cast in that race to mandate an official recount. Ferrara's 10-vote lead as of …

Levy Approved for Kent Free Library

Voters give OK to 1.8-mill continuing operating levy

The first ever operating levy in the history of the Kent Free Library was approved by voters Tuesday, according to complete but unofficial results from the Portage County Board of Elections. Voters approved a 1.8-mill, continuing operating levy for the library by a vote of 3,776 for with 1,892 against with 26 of 29 voting precincts reporting, according to the board of elections. Kent Free Library Director Stacey Richardson said the levy will generate about $884,000 each year to support the library's operations. "It’s very gratifying to know that the residents value and understand the importance of their public library," Richardson said. "Even though we have a tough economic climate right now it’s heartening to see our patrons and community…

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citizen number eight

5:05 pm on Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Really Pat, "all the lights on"? maybe five or ten percent. I believe it's called security lighting. Here's a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_lighting I am overjoyed by the overwhelming majority that turned out to support the library and the future generations of our fine community. I'm looking forward to what the library has in store for all of us.   more ›

Unopposed Incumbents Retain Their Seats

Several Kent City Council and Kent City School board candidates were unopposed in Tuesday's election

A number of unopposed incumbents retained their seats on Kent City Council and the Kent City Schools Board of Education in Tuesday's election, according to complete but unofficial results from the Portage County Board of Elections. Those candidates running unopposed who retained their seats on council are: Jack Amrhein, Wayne Wilson, John Kuhar, Heidi Shaffer and Tracy Wallach. The two unopposed incumbent candidates on the school board who retained their seats are: Janet Rusnack and Rebekah Wright-Kulis. See the headlines below for more Kent Election 2011 coverage:

Ferrara Wins, Narrowly Retains Ward 1 Kent Council Seat

Republican incumbent beats Democratic challenger

Garret Ferrara narrowly retained his seat on Kent City Council in a close race with challenger Melissa Long that was decided by a mere 10 votes Tuesday. The Republican incumbent won re-election to his Ward 1 council seat Tuesday by a vote of 754 to 744, according to complete but unofficial results from the Portage County Board of Elections. Ferrara defeated his Democratic challenger Long, who also is a member of the Kent Planning Commission. Ferrara, who hosted his election night watch party at Riverside Wine & Bar, said he was surprised the race was so close. "I’m surprised it was close to be quite honest, but she ran a good campaign," Ferrara said. "We’ll evaluate what happened and why it was so close." The campaign was Long's first run …

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

UPDATED Election Results: Ferrara Wins; Library Levy Passes

Information based on unofficial results from the Portage County Board of Elections

The third batch of voting results are in from the Portage County Board of Elections. In Kent, just one race for office is contested and only one local issue was on the ballot — Kent City Council Ward 1 and the Kent Free Library levy request. Here is the third batch of results from the elections board: Those candidates running unopposed in the election on council are: Jack Amrhein, Wayne Wilson, John Kuhar, Heidi Shaffer and Tracy Wallach. Running unopposed for the Kent City Schools Board of Education are Janet Rusnack and Rebekah Wright-Kulis. Refresh this story throughout the night tonight for updated results and continue to check with Kent Patch for election results tonight and Wednesday.

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