None of the three Park City Councilors whose positions are on the ballot this year have declared whether they will mount campaigns to try to keep their seats, leaving an unusual amount of uncertainty just more than a week before people are able to formally declare themselves candidates.
The seats held by Joe Kernan, Liza Simpson and Dick Peek are on the November ballot. Kernan is a second-term City Councilor while Simpson is in her first term. Peek recently ascended to the City Council to succeed the late Candy Erickson. He would be seeking his first full term.
In interviews on Monday, Kernan and Simpson said they were considering their options. Neither of them committed to a re-election campaign, though. Peek was not available on Monday. He has said he is seriously considering a campaign for a full four-year term.
Kernan said he will decide whether to seek re-election once he learns who is in the City Council field, meaning that he might not declare his intentions until the window is open for people to submit campaign papers.
He said he has been in discussions with an undisclosed Parkite about whether that person will seek a City Council spot. If that person decides to campaign, Kernan said, he would not seek re-election. The City Councilman said if the undisclosed person opts out but another person with a platform similar to his own campaigns, he might not seek re-election.
Kernan declined to identify the person he has been talking to about a campaign. He said, though, the person would be a newcomer to City Hall politics but has regular dealing with the municipal government. The person is in a leadership position in the business and not-for-profit fields, Kernan said.
Kernan said he been speaking to the person about a campaign for months.
He said he wants candidates to run for office who are interested in the City Hall budget and balancing the interests of Parkites against those of the municipality. Kernan has been especially interested in City Hall compensation packages, as an example.
“I continue to talk to people who are interested in running,” Kernan said.
Simpson, meanwhile, said she is “leaning strongly that direction” when asked about a re-election bid.
“I am thinking very seriously about filing,” Simpson said.
Simpson said she continues to talk to friends and others who follow City Hall politics.
“I’m still having fun doing it,” she said, adding that she sees herself as having had a positive impact on Park City.
Nobody from outside City Hall has made public their intentions to campaign for a City Council spot. It is rare that to have such little talk about a City Council campaign a week before the filing window opens. More typically there are at least some rumblings about people who are considering a challenge for the City Council.
Thirteen people competed to succeed Erickson when the remaining City Councilors selected Peek.
The filing window opens on July 1 and closes on July 15. Someone campaigning for a City Council spot must:
If more than six people vie for a City Council spot, a primary will be held Sept. 13 to reduce the field to six. Election Day is Nov. 8. The winners will be sworn into office in early 2012 for four-year terms.
For more information about qualifications or to inquire about other election-related topics, contact Sharon Bauman, City Hall’s, elections officer, at 615-5184. More information is also available on City Hall’s website, www.parkcity.org . Once at the front page of the website, select ‘More’ under the News heading. Then select the link to ‘2011 Election and Candidate Filing Information.’