Ark Valley News - Local election races are filling up

Local election races are filling up
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: June 01, 2017

Several area residents have filed as candidates in local school board and city council elections.

The deadline to register as a candidate is June 1. If a primary election is needed, it will take place Aug. 1. The general election will be Nov. 7, with advance voting beginning Oct. 25.

In the Valley Center school district, three at-large seats are up for election to four-year terms on the board.

Brad Barbour, Bart Balthazor and Richard Harris will see their terms expire in January.

Harris, Balthazor and Barbour have filed for re-election. Joining them is newcomer Jason Reffner of Valley Center.

In the Valley Center City Council elections, one seat in each ward is up for election — Lou Cicirello (Ward 1), Brendan McGettigan (Ward 2), Jake Jackson (Ward 3) and Al Hobson (Ward 4).

Four-year terms start in January.

As of May 30, two people had filed for Hobson's Ward 4 seat. They are Forrest Patterson and Paul Davis III. Hobson told The News that he does not plan to seek re-election.

One person, Ray Strunk, had filed for the Ward 1 seat.

As of May 30, there were no candidates for Wards 2 or 3.

One seat in each ward of the Park City council is up for election — John Lehnherr (Ward 1), George Glover (Ward 2), Gary Aldrich (Ward 3) and Melvin Kerr (Ward 4).

The mayor's position also is up for election. All are four-year terms.

As of May 30, Lehnherr, Glover, Aldrich and Kerr had filed re-election. Brandi Baily, a newcomer, also filed to challenge Glover in Ward 2. Mayor Raymond Mann filed for re-election.

In Kechi, where two council members are serving out unexpired terms, two positions are up for election, those held by Margaret McCormick and Betty Washington. They replaced Virginia Riemann and Deb Jacobs.

McCormick and Washington have filed to retain their seats. No one else had filed as of May 30.

The mayor position also is up for election. It is held by Ed Parker.

Kechi resident and former Valley Center teacher John Speer filed as candidate for mayor.

Four of the five at-large council seats in Bel Aire are up for election. They are held by Peggy O'Donnel, Guy MacDonald, Ramona Becker and Diane Wynn. The top three vote-getters will fill three four-year terms, while the fourth will take Wynn's position, which was an unexpired term that will run through January 2020.

The mayor's position also is up for election. It is held by David Austin and is a two-year term.

As of May 30, Becker and three newcomers — Jeff Elshoff, Justin Smith and Jim Benage — had filed for the council seats, and Patty Beamer has filed for mayor.