HARTFORD, Conn. -- A corrections officer intends to officially announce his mayoral candidacy in Hartford.

Frank Barrows said he wants to take on incumbent Mayor Eddie Perez for the city's top job, saying he loves the city and wants to make a difference.

"We have a high crime rate, drugs, alcohol. We have high unemployment; I think it's around 15 percent," Barrows said.

Barrows is the first candidate to officially to announce his candidacy to face off against Perez in the 2007 election.

The 60-year-old Democrat and father of eight is a former state senator who graduated from Weaver High School and Prince Tech.

He worked for Pratt and Whitney for 27 years, building jet engines before working in human resources.

"I was in the state Senate for eight years. I dealt with housing, I dealt with public safety, (and) I dealt with development. I know quite a bit about development and housing," Barrows said.

He said the first step in making Hartford a destination city once again is cutting the unemployment rate.

"We have a lot of people that need help in this city, and one way we can do that is jobs. We need jobs to come into the city, and we need leadership that will be able to bring those jobs forward," he said.

Barrows said he has many people to please if he gets elected -- a large part of his family still lives in the city.

"This is my city, and I'm going to do my best to make it an All-America City again," Barrows said.

Perez attended the Hispanic Senior Center's Christmas party on Friday, where he told Eyewitness News he remains confident about his run for re-election.

"I've been mayor for five years; I've worked hard. I have a track record that I think I can put up against anybody," Perez said.

Political experts expect a number of Democrats and Republicans to challenge Perez. For more about the potential candidates, you can watch Face The State's discussion by clicking here.

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