Candidate Profile: Ted Ferreira For Marietta City Council

MARIETTA, GA — Eleven city council candidates are running for six seats in Marietta's Nov. 2 municipal election, two of which are running for the Ward 4 seat.

Ward 4 encompasses a portion of the area north of Polk Street and west of Cobb Parkway North, as well as a portion of area south of Stilesboro Road and west of West Cobb Trail near the Murray Arts Center. Residents can check if they live in Ward 4 by viewing this map online.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Ted Ferreira is running for Marietta City Council, Ward 4 against incumbent Andy Morris.

Age (as of Election Day)

55

Party Affiliation

Nonpartisan

Family

Wife: Lara

Children: Sophie (20), Kathryn (17), Evan (13), who all attended or still attend Marietta City Schools.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelor's of Science in Industrial Design

Occupation

Architectural designer, 35+ years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A

Campaign website

www.ted4ward4.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I became an Eagle Scout relatively young at 16, and I was very focused as a boy and all the way into my college years on being very involved in my community … volunteering my time in a number of different ways to student groups, the church and charitable organizations. As an adult, I’ve been very focused on raising our family and running several businesses since I was in my early 20s … but the onset of the pandemic forced me step back a bit both business-wise and personally … and reconsider how I’m spending some of my time and energy in my later years. As residents of Marietta for nearly two decades, all three of our children followed each other up through MCS schools, learned to ride bikes on city sidewalks, drive cars on city streets, and so, we’ve grown up together in this wonderful “little” town of ours. I’m running for office to see if I can use some of my own professional experience as an entrepreneur, designer and problem-solver to give back to the community that my family and I have called home since 2001.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Housing, not just in Marietta, but nationally. It is far too easy to believe that housing challenges can be solved by simply increasing density, but it is equally too easy to just condemn that approach. What works in Decatur may not in Marietta, and vice-versa. And what works on one street may fail just a few blocks away. My experience designing and building commercial and multi-family projects all over the world for 30+ years has helped to convince me that development should never be just a zero-sum game between investors and the City, it is first and foremost a basic human need. But it still has to be sustainable, both in terms of economics and its contribution to the City. I want to explore current and future housing needs, but in a responsive and considerate manner.

What are your short- and long-term goals if you are elected?

Short-term: Educating myself about what the city needs compared to what the community wants.

Long-term: Making at least some of that happen.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I plan to host regular neighborhood meetings for residents to share their input and concerns, and to be a resource to the community about issues which affect all of us. If you consider that running a City shares some similarities with running a business, then the voters are the "customers," and you ignore them at your own risk.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Scientists simply don't have all the answers, and neither do healthcare and education professionals. Most people accept that it can take decades of study and hard work to be considered an expert in almost any field. Information about issues as vital as public health should come by consensus from a large group of experts, in my opinion, and not from a Google search, your neighbors or the person who cuts your grass. I believe that Marietta's city and school management has done their best to prioritize the greater good of the community over that of the individual. People have to wear shoes in restaurants and can't send text messages on their cell phones while driving down I-75 for the same reasons .... it's simply common sense and shouldn't be politicized, in my opinion.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I support the development of more local businesses by providing better access to city services and encourage them to create innovative workforce programs and promote youth job opportunities. I would like to advocate for thoughtful and common sense speed controls as well as improving street-level transportation (automobiles, pedestrian and cycling) solutions. And I believe in better (and consistent) communication between the city and the community, starting with Ward 4.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I'm an entrepreneur and small business owner, an Eagle Scout and the oldest son of a Navy veteran who dropped out of high school and worked 3 jobs to support his new family. My dad taught me that you can accomplish anything if you work hard enough at it, but I'm also not afraid to say that "you don't know what you don't know". Ask a lot of questions, and eventually you'll get to the right answers.

What do you like best about living in your city (or county)?

Old trees, historic homes, walkable streets and a diverse community drew my wife & I to Marietta more than 20 years ago, and it's been a wonderful place to start multiple businesses, to raise our family and make lifelong friends.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

An early business mentor of mine told me once that when I'm faced with a very contentious issue, I should always ask myself: “Is this the hill you want to die on?” If the answer to this question is no, you need to keep your ego in check, so that it doesn't get in the way of making a decision that is right for the community. In any functional democracy, there are battles being waged over a wide range of issues, constantly. Whether the public is made aware of them or not, there are almost always power struggles, internal maneuvers, strategic decisions, and wins and losses. As a public representative, however, you need to be able to see both sides and decide which battles are worth fighting, and which are not.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

As a business owner for more than three decades, I describe myself as a fiscal conservative ... I'm proud to say that we've never laid off an employee because of a lack of funds in our bank account ... even when I've had to reduce my own paycheck at times. Balancing a budget and making hard decisions on money sometimes requires sacrifice, and everyone faces tough decisions at some time or another in their lives. I believe in being honest about money with my team, my family and if elected, with the public.