On Monday, Mar. 15, 2021, Kent Mayor Dana Ralph “officially” launched her re-election campaign (we use quotes there because she unofficially announced that she was running again at a Kent Chamber luncheon on Mar. 4).

Ralph’s only opponent (so far) is Dawn Bennett.

Candidates have until May 21 to file to run for office in the Aug. 3 Primary Election. The top two vote-getters then move on to the General Election on Nov. 2, 2021.

Elected by voters in 2017, Ralph has served the last four years as the Mayor of the 6th largest city in the state, and the 8th most diverse community in the United States, overseeing over 700 city employees and serving over 130,000 residents.

Here’s more from the Mayor’s official announcement:

“During these last 4 years we have faced some of the largest crises of our lifetime. But despite that, as usual, we have come together as a community to move Kent forward. Serving as your Mayor has been the honor of my lifetime and something I will always cherish. But our work isn’t over yet – we need to do more to make Kent an even better place to be. We must continue investing in beautification efforts to remove litter and graffiti. We must continue to invest in human services and help our nonprofits increase capacity to coordinate care for our most vulnerable. We need to drive down crime so everyone feels safe. Additionally, we must recommit ourselves to ensuring the City of Kent serves every resident equitably and gives people the respect and compassion they deserve,” said Mayor Ralph.

Ralph has received several early endorsements including the support of the Kent Firefighters Local 1747. She is also being supported early by the majority of the Kent City Council including Council President Toni Troutner and Councilmembers Bill Boyce, Marli Larimer, Zandria Michaud and Les Thomas.

“Our community is at a cross roads between navigating a global pandemic and seizing the opportunities in front of us to make Kent an even better place to live. We need an experienced leader who has demonstrated she has what it takes to do the job. Now isn’t the time to gamble on somebody new who hasn’t been involved in Kent. Dana Ralph is the clear and only choice to lead our city for the next 4 years,” said Kent City Councilmember Bill Boyce.

“Residents of Kent are struggling. Many have lost their jobs, had their hours cut, some have even lost the lives of friends and family members. They are doing their best to try and find light at the end of the COVID19 tunnel. They need a government who is going to work just as hard as they do to try and bring solutions forward to help them and their families. I am committed to continuing our fight, advocating for our community and being your voice at Kent City Hall,” Ralph concluded.

For more information visit www.MayorDanaRalph.com.

Scott Schaefer

Founder/Publisher/Editor. Three-time National Emmy Award winning Writer (“Bill Nye the Science Guy”), Director, Producer, Journalist and more...