Dana Ralph announced she will be tossing a hat in the political ring for the Kent City Council, Position No. 7.

The 39-year-old Ralph is running her second campaign for City Council. She lost in a race against Dennis Higgins two years ago.

“Kent is my community,” Ralph said. “I’ve lived here my whole life and I think it is important to address certain issues.”

One of Ralph’s top issues is public safety and working with neighborhoods.

“The key is getting the community and neighbors involved,” Ralph said. “We have a great police department and fire department. We need to get people out in the neighborhoods.”

She is also focusing on economic development.

“We need to bring jobs to our community and keep jobs here so people don’t have to commute,” Ralph said. “If we grow a job base here it lets people live and work in the same place.”

A third issue for Ralph is centering the city on providing “core services, spending money on core programs,” she said.

The in-person filing periods for candidates is June 6-10 and by mail the period is May 20 through June 10.

The primary election is Aug. 16 and the general election is Nov. 8.