James Allen Ferrell (born September 15, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician serving in his third term as the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Federal Way, Washington Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fe ...

since 2014. He is a candidate for King County Prosecutor. After being a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

for twenty years, in 2012 he switched to the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. Ferrell previously served ten years on the

Federal Way City Council Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fe ...

and was the prime mover behind the city's transition from a Council–Manager form of city government to a Mayor-Council or "Strong Mayor" government. Federal Way is currently the 9th largest city in the state of Washington. In the 2022 general election, Ferrell ran for the King County Prosecuting Attorney position and lost.

Personal background

Jim Ferrell grew up in Federal Way until the age of nine when his father died. After his father's passing, he, his mother, his twin brother, Jeff Ferrell (news anchor and reporter for KSLA 12 in Shreveport, LA) and his older brother and sister moved to

Yelm, Washington Yelm () is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. Its population was 10,617 at the 2020 census. At the beginning of the 21st century, Yelm was the 10th fastest growing city in the state in regard to population. History The wor ...

. Jim Ferrell graduated from

Yelm High School Yelm High School is a public high school in Yelm, Washington, United States. It is part of the Yelm Community Schools. Notable alumni * Dennis Hallman - professional mixed martial artist, formerly with the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...

in 1985 as a multi-sport athlete and

student body president The student government president (sometimes called "student ''body'' president," "student ''council'' president" or "''school'' president") is generally the highest-ranking officer of a student union. While a student government group and a class p ...

. After high school, Ferrell attended the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

and walked on, as an

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

, to the

Washington Huskies football The Washington Huskies football team represents the University of Washington in college football. Washington competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. Husky Stadium, located on cam ...

team, then led by

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Don James. Ferrell spent four seasons (1985–88) on the team, receiving the 1986 Brian Stapp Memorial Award for the most inspirational non-

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

, earning the 1988 Bob Jarvis Award for most inspirational walk-on player, and was chosen by his fellow players in 1988 to win the prestigious Guy Flaherty Medal for the team's most inspirational player, despite being primarily a

scout team The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see ''Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

player for all four seasons. After graduating in 1989 from the University of Washington with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(B.A.) in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

, Ferrell attended the

Gonzaga University School of Law The Gonzaga University School of Law (also known as Gonzaga Law or GU Law) is the professional school for the study of law at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Established in 1912, the Jesuit-affiliated law school has been fully accredi ...

and graduated with a

Juris Doctor degree The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

(J.D.) in 1993. Jim Ferrell lives in Federal Way with his wife, Wendy, and their son.

Professional background

While in law school, Ferrell was a

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

during the presidency of

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

and worked as a

legislative assistant A legislative assistant (LA) or legislative analyst is a person who works for a legislator as a legislative staffer, a government agency as a legislative affairs professional, or in the government relations and regulatory affairs industry by monitor ...

for State Senators

Pete von Reichbauer Peter G. von Reichbauer (born December 30, 1944) is an American businessman and politician serving as a member of the nonpartisan King County Council, representing District 7, a region of South King County which includes all of the cities of Al ...

and Ray Schow; both of whom represented

Washington's 30th legislative district Washington's 30th legislative district is one of forty-nine districts in Washington state for representation in the state legislature. It is mostly in King County with a small section in Pierce County. It covers the cities of Federal Way, Des ...

, which includes the entirety of Federal Way. During this period, Jim Ferrell was nearly appointed to the Washington State Senate, finishing second behind Schow to fill the seat left vacant after von Reichbauer's election to the

King County Council The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The Council adopts laws, sets policy, and holds final approval over the budget. Its current name and structure i ...

. After receiving his J.D., Ferrell began his career as a

prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...

for the City of

Renton, Washington Renton is a city in King County, Washington, and an inner-ring suburb of Seattle. Situated southeast of downtown Seattle, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington, at the mouth of the Cedar River. As of the 2020 census, the ...

before moving onto the

King County Prosecuting Attorney The King County Prosecuting Attorney is a non-partisan elected official in King County, Washington. The Prosecuting Attorney leads the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, and prosecutes all felonies (as well as all misdemeanors in unincorpo ...

's Office in 1998. That same year Ferrell won an award from the

King County Sheriff's Office The King County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) is a local police agency in King County, Washington, United States. It is the primary law enforcement agency for all unincorporated areas of King County, as well as 12 cities and two transit agencies which ...

for performing life-saving

CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore sponta ...

on a fellow prosecutor and, in 2003, won an award for chasing down on foot and apprehending a defendant who had fled a courtroom. In 2000, Ferrell became the supervisor of

King County King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...

's newly created

domestic violence court Specialized domestic violence courts are designed to improve victim safety and enhance defendant accountability. There is no one set definition of a specialized violence court, although these types of courts can be either civil or criminal and ty ...

and later (2005–07) served two terms as the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the King County Prosecuting Attorneys

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

. Similar to his near appointment to the State Senate, Ferrell in 2007 finished second behind

Dan Satterberg Daniel Todd Satterberg is an American attorney and politician who served as the prosecuting attorney of King County, Washington, from 2007 to 2023. Early life and education Born in Seattle, Satterberg graduated from Highline High School and the ...

to be appointed as King County Prosecuting Attorney to fill the position following the death of

Norm Maleng Norman "Kim" Maleng (September 17, 1938 – May 24, 2007) was an American attorney and politician who served as the King County Prosecuting Attorney for 28 years. He was also an architect of Washington's Sentencing Reform Act. Early life a ...

. Jim Ferrell had risen to the position of King County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney before resigning on December 31, 2013 to take the position of mayor of Federal Way.

Political career

In 2002, Jim Ferrell challenged the 30th Legislative District's (then) two-term

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...

Democratic Washington State Representative

Mark Miloscia Mark Anthony Miloscia (born September 13, 1958) is an American politician and former public school teacher who served in the Washington State Senate from 2015 to 2019. A Democrat for more than twenty years, in 2014 he switched to the Republican P ...

. Miloscia ended up winning the election by more than 11 percentage points. The following year, Ferrell took on incumbent Federal Way City Councilmember Mary Gates, who had been a city councilmember since Federal Way was incorporated in 1990. Ultimately, Ferrell defeated Gates by nearly 5 percentage points. In his two subsequent city council reelection races in 2007 and 2011, Ferrell did not face any opposition. One of Ferrell's prime initiatives while on the city council was a successful transition to making Federal Way Municipal Court judges elected, instead of appointed. Analogous to this interest in having public

accountability Accountability, in terms of ethics and governance, is equated with answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and the expectation of account-giving. As in an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the publ ...

for officials, Jim Ferrell supported the February 2008

ballot initiative In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a pu ...

to transition from a Council–Manager form of city government to a Mayor-Council or "Strong Mayor" government. The initiative failed by about 10 percentage points. The following year, Ferrell spearheaded a second effort to make the same transition in city government. This initiative, on its second attempt, passed by about 3 percentage points on the 2009 General Election ballot. During the campaign to change the city's form of government, Ferrell made clear that he would run for the office of mayor if the initiative proved successful. Later, State Representative

Skip Priest Mahlon S. Priest (born March 18, 1950) is an American politician of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. Priest was the first elected mayor of Federal Way, Washington, serving from 2010 to 2014. Earlier he served four terms i ...

, City Councilmember Mike Park, and City Councilmember (and future State Representative)

Linda Kochmar Linda Louise Kochmar (née Stohosky, born October 25, 1944) is an American politician serving as the president of the Federal Way City Council since 2022. She has served as a member of the council since 2020, an office she previously held from 199 ...

also joined the race to become the city's first elected mayor. His campaign focused on opposition to the proposed

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

development in the city's

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

, skepticism of the proposed

performing arts center Performing arts center/centre (see spelling differences), often abbreviated as PAC, is used to refer to: * A multi-use performance space that is intended for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. :The ...

, and a focus on

public safety Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensure ...

. In the

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

, Ferrell and Priest finished as the top-two vote-getters meaning they would face-off in the general election. Ultimately, Skip Priest won the general election by about 4 percentage points. The proposed skyscraper plan, which was a major talking point during the campaign, died three months after the election when the developers could not pay an initial $100,000 to the city on the proposed $350 million project. In April 2012, five months following Ferrell's election to a third term to the Federal City Council, he announced that he would be switching parties; from the Republican party to the Democratic party. In his column explaining his decision, Ferrell said it was motivated by what he saw as a move by the Republican party to more

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

tone and

reactionary In political science, a reactionary or a reactionist is a person who holds political views that favor a return to the ''status quo ante'', the previous political state of society, which that person believes possessed positive characteristics abse ...

policies. Chief among his concerns were that the Republican party appeared to him to take neither

global climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

nor a 21st-century approach to

energy policy Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity (often governmental) has decided to address issues of energy development including energy conversion, distribution and use as well as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to contri ...

seriously. Also concerning Ferrell was what he saw as the Republican party's continued preference toward tax cuts for the rich instead of policies to mitigate the jobs lost and lives upended following the

Great Recession of 2008 The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At t ...

. On May 6, 2013, Jim Ferrell announced his candidacy for Federal Way's mayor in the 2013 election, in what turned out to be a rematch of the 2010 contest between himself and (then) Mayor Skip Priest. In addition to similar themes heard during the 2010 election, Ferrell was also critical of Priest's cuts in the city's workforce, particularly its

police force The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

, during his term in office, as well as his advocacy for legislation that would have dismantled

Sound Transit Sound Transit (ST), officially the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, is a public transit agency serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It operates the Link light rail system in Seattle and Tacoma, r ...

. Public safety was of particular interest during the election due to the 2013

mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 200 ...

at Federal Way's Pinewood Village

apartment complex An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ...

that left five dead, in addition to a 24% increase in burglaries and a 12% increase in auto thefts in the city in 2012. The rematch of the 2010 election resulted in the unseating of the incumbent mayor with Ferrell prevailing with more than 55% of the vote.

Mayor of Federal Way

Jim Ferrell took office as Federal Way's second elected mayor on January 1, 2014. He was re-elected in 2017 and 2021, becoming the first Mayor in Federal away to serve consecutive terms of office. His key accomplishments include: Creating Town Square Park, a Low Impact Development, which serves as the “beating heart” of our community Developing a balanced and objective financial plan to build the Performing Arts & Event Center Building the Town Center Steps, connected Town Square Park, the PAEC, and future development while promoting access and walkability Advocating for Light Rail to travel down I-5 to Federal Way, growing economic opportunity, and ensuring downtown redevelopment through Transit Oriented Development Converting to LED streetlights and beginning Federal Way’s conversion to an electric vehicle fleet Withdrawing from the SCORE Jail System, saving the City more than $4 million Deploying increased resources to keep neighborhoods safe from graffiti and chronic distressed properties Establishing the City's first African American Black Community Quarterly Meeting Hiring the City's first Diversity Equity and Inclusion Manager Securing the donation of the historical Brooklake Community Center property to the parks department Dedicating Downtown’s 60-foot flagpole and designating Veterans Way Issuing a city proclamation for Black Lives Matter and raising the Juneteenth flag Saving public health services for more than 13,000 low-income women and their children Creating a structurally balanced 2021-2022 budget Supporting small businesses during the pandemic by signing more than half a million dollars worth of CARES Act Grants Convening the Mayor’s Homelessness Task Force and acting on recommendations to help create the Pete Anderson FUSION Family Center, helping serve over one hundred families in need per year Ensuring greater oversight of the Federal Way Police Department, discontinuing use of chokeholds, and working toward a body camera program Creating the Shop Local Federal Way website to help support Federal Way businesses by encouraging residents to shop local. It is also a great directory of businesses in Federal Way.

King County Prosecuting Attorney campaign

On January 7, 2022, the day that

announced his retirement, Ferrell filed paperwork to run for the office. He formally launched a campaign (www.jimferrell.org) for the office on January 27. He lost the general election.

Electoral history

{{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Non-partisan , candidate = Susan Honda , votes = 5,709 , percentage = 38.18 {{Election box begin , title=Federal Way Mayor, General Election 201 {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Non-partisan , candidate = Jim Ferrell , votes = 8,299 , percentage = 55.15 , change = +7.17 {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Non-partisan , candidate =

(Incumbent) , votes = 6,749 , percentage = 44.85 , change = -7.17 {{Election box end {{Election box begin , title=Federal Way City Council, Position No. 1, General Election 2011 {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Non-partisan , candidate = Jim Ferrell (Incumbent) , votes = 13,097 , percentage = 100.00 , change = 0.00 {{Election box end {{Election box begin , title=Federal Way Mayor, General Election 2010 {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Non-partisan , candidate =

, votes = 12,315 , percentage = 52.02 , change = {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Non-partisan , candidate = Jim Ferrell , votes = 11,360 , percentage = 47.98 , change = {{Election box end {{Election box begin , title=Federal Way Mayor, Primary Election 2010 {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Non-partisan , candidate =

, votes = 5,110 , percentage = 35.70 , change = {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Non-partisan , candidate = Jim Ferrell , votes = 3,991 , percentage = 27.89 , change = {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Non-partisan , candidate =

, votes = 2,650 , percentage = 18.52 , change = {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Non-partisan , candidate = Mike Park , votes = 2,561 , percentage = 17.89 , change = {{Election box end {{Election box begin , title=Federal Way City Council, Position No. 1, General Election 2007 {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Non-partisan , candidate = Jim Ferrell (Incumbent) , votes = 11,049 , percentage = 100.00 , change = +47.63 {{Election box end {{Election box begin , title=Federal Way City Council, Position No. 1, General Election 2003 {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Non-partisan , candidate = Jim Ferrell , votes = 5,988 , percentage = 52.37 , change = {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Non-partisan , candidate = Mary Gates (Incumbent) , votes = 5,445 , percentage = 47.63 , change = -52.37 {{Election box end {{Election box begin , title=

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

, Pos. 1, General Election 2002 {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Democratic Party (US) , candidate =

(Incumbent) , votes = 15,870 , percentage = 55.91 , change = -1.82 {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Republican Party (US) , candidate = Jim Ferrell , votes = 12,513 , percentage = 44.09 , change = {{Election box end {{Election box begin , title=

, Pos. 1, Primary Election 2002{{cite web, url=http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/2002sep/resPage4.htm , title=King County Elections, 2002 Primary Election Results , publisher=your.kingcounty.gov , date=September 27, 2002 , accessdate=March 30, 2014 {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Democratic Party (US) , candidate =

(Incumbent) , votes = 8,622 , percentage = 54.52 , change = {{Election box candidate with party link, , party = Republican Party (US) , candidate = Jim Ferrell , votes = 7,193 , percentage = 45.48 , change = {{Election box end

References

{{reflist {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrell, Jim 1966 births Living people Washington (state) Democrats Washington (state) Republicans American twins