By Polly Keary, Editor
When the deadline to file for public office passed Friday afternoon at 5 p.m., it was clear that city government spots aren't enticing people in great numbers in Gold Bar; no candidates stepped forward for the mayor's position and one city council position will also remain vacant.
But in Sultan, seven candidates are running for four positions on the council.
For the first time in years, there will also be no primary election in the Sky Valley, as there are no races with more than two candidates.
Next week the Monroe Monitor and Valley News will run an overview of all candidates in greater detail.
Sultan
Sultan will experience considerable turnover on the city council this year, as two of four incumbents have not filed for reelection.
That doesn't mean there is a shortage of candidates; only one candidate will run unopposed.
Incumbent Kenneth Marshall will face a challenge from Bob McCarty for Council Position #1. Marshall was appointed in 2011 to replace Sam Pinson. He was one of four candidates to apply.
Councilmember Steve Slawson will not run again. Seeking his position is former Sultan city councilmember John Seehuus. Seehuus served on the city council until 2007, when he lost a race for mayor against Carolyn Eslick. He is running unopposed.
Incumbent Kay George will run again, facing a challenge from Rocky Walker. George won her first term in 2011, running against Marianne Naslund. Rocky Walker is an active volunteer and a Block Watch captain in Sultan.
Marianne Naslund is taking a shot at reclaiming a position on the city council. Unseated by Kay George two years ago, she will run against Geoffrey Evans for the seat that Kristina Blair is leaving. Marianne Naslund, Sultan High School administrative secretary, was featured as a Hometown Hero in Reader's Digest Magazine last year for her efforts to give a home to a young man from a troubled family.
Tracy Cotterill and Patty Fountain are both running unopposed for reelection to their positions on the Sultan School Board.
And Steven Fox and Brian Copple are both also running unopposed for seats on the fire board for District #5.
Gold Bar-á
By the end of this year, Gold Bar could be scrambling to find a mayor.
Incumbent Joe Beavers will not seek reelection this year, and by last Friday's deadline for filing to run for public office, no one had stepped forward to run for the seat.
The mayor was appointed in 2009 to fill out the last five months of former mayor Crystal Hill's term after she resigned. Beavers had to run to keep the seat, which he did that year. His current term ends at the end of this year.
The two incumbent city council members whose terms end this year both did file for reelection, and both will run unopposed. They are Lee Hodo, who was recently appointed to the council, and Davi Martin, who was appointed to the council in 2010 and who ran for and won a two-year position in 2011. Gold Bar's city council seat #1 will remain empty until an appointee can be found, as no candidates stepped forward to run for the office.
Gold Bar's fire commissioner for District #26, Kate Hayes, will run unopposed.
Index-á
Index's incumbent mayor will have an easy path back to the office, as no one filed to run against him. In fact, there was a general shortage of candidates for elected office in the town of Index. Of the three city council members up for re-election, only Alexander Gibb filed to run for his own seat again. He has an opponent in the person of Peter Gott.
Gott already had a seat on the city council, but rather than file to run again for his, he filed to unseat Gibb. That left two council seats vacant, as incumbent Karen Sample declined to run again and no one stepped forward to seek her position.
There are two people seeking the position of Director-At-Large in the Index School District's Board of Directors. Kathy Corson and Anna Folsom will compete for that spot. However, another school board seat will remain empty until an appointment can be found, as incumbent Kimberly Ann Woods will not run again and no one else filed for the seat.
Index's two fire commissioners for District #28, Doug Rupp and Bill Cross, will both run unopposed.
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