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Kent was born and raised in Somerville, Massachusetts just outside of Boston. He got his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Boston University and started his Masters in Social Work at the Wurtzweiller School of Social Work in Ne w York City. Kent was active in school politics, coached Little League and worked with teenagers in the B’nai Brith Youth Organization. After Kent’s first year of graduate school, he organized a group of volunteer undergraduate and graduate students to develop a summer program for kids on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in San Carlos, Arizona. Kent and six other volunteers worked with the tribal staff and Apache volunteers in developing photography, arts and crafts and athletic programs.
Kent worked with kids ages 10 to15 who were in the local jail. Many of them had been in jail for 4 to 12 months for sniffing paint, truancy, running away or just not having any other place to go. Kent was able to get them out of jail on a daily basis, get them showers and clean clothes and involve them in the summer programs. Eventually they were all released and returned home to parents or relatives. When the summer ended the Bureau of Indian Affairs was so impressed with Kent’s work that they offered him a full time position. Kent worked to help develop a Juvenile Legal Code, a juvenile detention and rehabilitation center and a work-study program for high school students. Unfortunately after six months President Nixon put a freeze on federal hiring and Kent’s job never became permanent.
Kent had fallen in love with Arizona and he moved to Tucson in the spring of 1972. Kent has lived in Tucson the past 36 years and he has been married to his wife and partner Salle Hunter for 33 of those years. Kent and Salle bought their home on E. Blacklidge (in LD 27) 32 years ago and they, along with their friend Butch Lee, opened Kent’s Tools at the Tanque Verde Swap meet in1978. Kent’s Tools was relocated to Grant Road in 1987.
When Kent arrived in Tucson, he worked at Family Counseling Agency where he coordinated an aftercare program for state and federal probationers and parolees with histories of drug abuse. He also did individual and family counseling. During this period Kent finished his Masters in Social Work by commuting weekly To ASU. Kent also was the Youth Director at the Jewish Community Center and the Director of the Pima County Juvenile Justice Collaboration.
Kent is well known in the community for his work on such key community issues as: the Governor Evan Mecham Recall, the Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration Committee, working with the Grant Road Merchant’s Association to defeat of the Grant Rd/Campbell Ave underpass. He was also prominent in his opposition to the RTA. He has been the volunteer Chair and the patient advocate trainer of the Free Clinic of Tucson, an active member of the Keeling Neighborhood Association, and a leader in the Green Party of Pima County. He currently serves as treasurer of the Pima County Green Party.
And despite his degree from ASU, he is an avid Wildcats fan!
Kent’s Tools on Grant Road, two blocks E of Stone is a unique small business. When Kent along with Salle and Butch began their business, they cast their lot in the world of blue-collar work. Kent grew up back east in his family owned hardware store. His parents started their business with 30 rolls of wallpaper, four gallons of paint and 2 kegs of nails. Kent, Salle and Butch essentially started Kent’s Tools the same way. After having back surgery and not being able to find a paying social work job during the recession of the late 70’s, and with an old pickup truck and $50.00 dollars in their pockets they started selling miscellaneous items at the swap meet just to survive. This turned in to a real brick and mortar business and the rest is history.
Kent’s Tools is a one of a kind establishment. Kent’s Tools sell new, used and surplus tools of all kinds. They specialize in hard to find tools and machinery. They cater to the do it yourselfer, blue-collar workers, small businesses, manufacturers and other industry. They are proud of their ability to recycle tools and give them new homes with people who need them or can’t afford new ones or just plain like the feel of a quality vintage tool. Kent’s Tools prides itself on selling quality tools. Don’t expect to find rows upon rows of cheaply made tools from China, wrapped in annoying layers of plastic. Rather you will find bins and shelves of good quality new and used products mostly made in the U.S.A. and made by American workers.
Kent is the real deal; he has met a payroll year in and year out for 30 years, advocated for small local businesses and for the community where he has lived and lives within walking distance of his workplace. He understands money and he understands and lives the Green Party "key values" of personal and global responsibility. He gets it that you don't dump the disabled and toss babies out the window while you sit on the resources to help them. He gets it that the environment needs protecting and that the economy needs to be reconfigured to fit the new realities of global warming and depleted resources. He gets it that times are tough and that average people like you are concerned about the economy, your children’s schools, and whether we will have enough water in future years. He gets it that everyone, whether insured or not, should get available quality health care. Kent believes that government's only reason for existence is to be part of the solution to these and other problems and he has the experience to know how to get things done.
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