With his first four years in office coming to a close, Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell announced Friday he is seeking a second term.

Ferrell, who was elected to office in 2013 as a Democrat, said he is seeking re-election because he wants to continue the work the city has begun with him at the helm, including investing in the downtown and creating a downtown core, and representing Federal Way on a number of regional committees.

“I am just really excited about the direction the city is taking,” Ferrell said. “I am just really honored to be mayor, and I really feel like we’ve got unfinished work. … I’m really excited where Federal Way is headed and the potential for the future, and I want to be a part of it.”

Of his accomplishments during his first term, Ferrell said he is most proud of the Blue Ribbon Panel that helped launch the PAEC project. He said, before taking office he was critical of the project because he did not see any way of moving it forward, especially without an objective financial metric in place. He said he put together the Blue Ribbon Panel to see if the PAEC was feasible and was pleased and surprised when the panel returned with a more than 100-page report detailing how the center could be viable.

Ferrell said he is also pleased with the work going on to establish a core downtown in Federal Way, with the completion of Town Square Park and construction work beginning on the PAEC.

He said before the city turned its attention toward that area, Town Square Park was just cement rubble surrounded by cyclone fence, and an abandoned building sat where the PAEC is being built.

“Now we have started the process of a renaissance in Federal Way’s downtown,” Ferrell said.

In additional to all that, Ferrell said the completion of the city’s first economic development plan rounds out the accomplishments of which he is most proud.

If re-elected, Ferrell said further establishing a core downtown area, including addressing parking, will continue to be a priority. His No. 1 priority, however, continues to be public safety. The addition of nine new police officers, for whom the funding was provided with the passage of the 2017-18 budget, is a good start in making Federal Way safer, Ferrell said, and city officials will continue to evaluate ways to improve residents’ safety.

Ferrell is also excited about the prospects of a higher education facility opening in Federal way, which he thinks will be a great service for residents and an economic development booster. While a memorandum of understanding was passed between the city, Federal Way school district, Highline College and University of Washington-Tacoma, a lot of work remains before a permanent facility can be established. As well, the city continues to work on a number of other economic development opportunities that would be “game-changing,” Ferrell said.

Ferrell, who served on the Federal Way City Council and twice as deputy mayor prior to being elected mayor, was also a King County senior deputy prosecutor for 16 years and served as Renton’s city prosecutor for three years. According to a press release, a kickoff for Ferrell’s re-election campaign will take place later this spring.

To learn more about Ferrell and his vision, visit www.JimFerrell.org.