Ken Paris is a long-time resident of Dearborn. He attended Dearborn Public Schools, earned an associate degree in criminal justice from Henry Ford Community College, and completed the School of Police Staff and Command program at Eastern Michigan University. He and his wife Jamie have been married for over 40 years and have two grandchildren.

Ken previously worked as a corporate security specialist at AAA Michigan. He also served with the University of Michigan–Dearborn Department of Public Safety for 12 years, including as interim chief and director of public safety and as police lieutenant in charge of operations. Before that, he spent 27 years with the Dearborn Police Department, holding positions from patrolman to executive lieutenant. He also worked as an assistant instructor at Schoolcraft College’s Regional Police Academy.

Ken currently serves as a member of the Dearborn City Council. He was first elected in 2021 and is serving his first term. He previously ran for the same office in 2017 but did not win.