Kent Mayor says crime is down, flood response paid off and city is investing in jobs and infrastructure at chamber luncheon

Kent Mayor Dana Ralph told business leaders last week that crime has fallen in nearly every category over the past 19 months, the city has secured new authority to fund more police officers, and major investments in infrastructure, aerospace and workforce development are positioning Kent for continued growth.

Speaking at the Kent Chamber of Commerce March 5 membership luncheon, Ralph said Kent is seeing public safety gains while also moving forward on transportation, light rail, downtown redevelopment and advanced manufacturing. She also said the city’s response to December flooding showed the value of long-term preparation and reserve funding.

“Crime in Kent has declined in nearly every category over the past 19 months,” Ralph said. “We are close to prepandemic levels.”

Ralph said Kent became the first city in Washington to receive authorization to access funding tied to House Bill 2015, which she said will help the city expand police staffing. She said the city is using a one-tenth of 1% sales tax approved last year to hire officers, restore regular bike patrols downtown, reestablish a street level narcotics and human trafficking unit, and increase neighborhood based patrols.

“It is investment in officers on the street,” Ralph said.

Ralph said Kent expects to increase its budgeted police staffing from 170 officers heading into 2026 to 180, though she said that still falls short of where the city needs to be. She also praised tools such as automated license plate readers, saying proposed state restrictions could make them less effective for solving crimes, recovering stolen vehicles and locating suspects or missing people.

“If the state takes that tool away, it means that we have fewer tools to keep our community safe,” Ralph said.

The mayor also pointed to Kent’s response during December historic flooding, which she described as the worst the area had seen since 1959. She said city public works crews worked around the clock to inspect levees, reinforce weak points and respond across the region, including helping repair a levee break in Tukwila and reopening State Route 167.

“That was your Kent Public Works teams getting that freeway open,” Ralph said.

Ralph said some residents and businesses suffered flood damage and urged those affected to seek federal disaster assistance, including Small Business Administration loans. She also credited U.S. Sen. Patty Murray with securing $190 million in federal funding for improvements to the Howard Hanson Dam, which she said will increase capacity and help reduce future flood risks.

Beyond public safety and emergency response, Ralph highlighted Kent’s role as a major aerospace and advanced manufacturing center. She said nearly 32,000 aerospace jobs are located in the Kent Valley across 200 workplaces, accounting for more than one third of Washington’s aerospace employment and generating $27 billion in annual output.

She pointed to Kent-based companies Blue Origin and Stoke Space as examples of the city’s growing role in space and manufacturing. Ralph said Blue Origin received nearly $270 million in federal contracts last fall, while Stoke Space is developing the Nova rocket and preparing for operational launches this year.

Ralph said the city and Kent School District are working through a five-year STEM initiative running through 2028 to connect students with local industries such as aerospace, advanced manufacturing, information technology and health care. She said nearly 800 students participated in a recent aerospace career expo at the accesso ShoWare Center.

“Our kids don’t know that,” Ralph said, referring to jobs in aerospace and manufacturing that can start at $80,000 right out of high school without a four year degree.

The mayor also highlighted other major investments underway, including the opening of two light rail stations in Kent as part of the Federal Way Link Extension, the completion of new SR 509 connections to Sea-Tac Airport and freight routes, and a franchise agreement with Ezee Fiber for a $400 million fiber optic expansion in Washington, with Kent serving as its regional headquarters.

She said Kent also secured $6.5 million in state grants for two new roundabouts and is moving ahead with a $63.5 million municipal campus relocation project that will create new administrative offices, a modern police headquarters and a renovated civic space in downtown Kent.

“The city is investing in our downtown,” Ralph said. “We are making deliberate and large investments in the downtown core.”

Ralph also addressed the closure of the East Hill Fred Meyer, calling it a real loss for the community. She said the City Council unanimously approved an ordinance intended to prevent restrictive covenants that could block another grocery store or other future uses at the site.

She said Kent officials continue to speak with Fred Meyer representatives, but added that the property remains privately owned and the city does not control its future tenant.

The mayor closed by urging employers and community organizations to help expose students to careers available in the Kent Valley through apprenticeships, internships, job shadows and tours.

“The state of Kent is good,” Ralph said.

Video

Below is video of Ralph’s speech, as filmed/edited by Scott Schaefer: