For those who are running for office, or thinking about it, next week is when they have to decide “Will I or won’t I?”
The filing window is a one-week period during which candidates for local political office must submit paperwork to the County Clerk’s office to be eligible to appear on the ballot.
There’s a separate process to gather signatures to get on the ballot, but the majority of candidates file during this week.
The window opens at 8 a.m. Monday, Feb. 28, and closes at 5 p.m. Friday, March 4. That’s a week earlier than was originally scheduled — legislation passed earlier this month moved the timing up.
In Summit County races, there will be two council seats and four other county offices up for election, as well as two school board seats from each district.
Those council seats are currently held by Glenn Wright and Chair Chris Robinson.
Wright has said he won’t seek reelection, while Robinson said he will. Robinson, a Democrat, has served since 2008.
Two men have announced they will seek Wright’s seat: Democrat Canice Harte and Republican Byron Ames.
Harte is a former longtime Snyderville Basin planning commissioner who launched an unsuccessful bid for a council seat in 2020.
Ames was the mayor of Francis until the start of this year. He is the first Republican to run for Summit County Council since 2016.
Also up for election are the Summit County attorney, auditor, clerk and sheriff.
Three of the four incumbents told KPCW they would run again: County Attorney Margaret Olson, County Clerk Eve Furse and Sheriff Justin Martinez.
Auditor Michael Howard, a Democrat, said on Friday he hasn’t decided whether to pursue another term.
If he does decide to run again, it’ll likely be a contested race. Cindy Keyes has announced she’ll seek the office of auditor. Keyes is a Peoa resident and the Summit County Health Department’s business manager. She is also running as a Democrat, setting up a potential primary election.
All of these races are partisan, meaning local political parties will choose who appears on the ballot. If a Democrat does not achieve a certain percentage of delegate votes in the party’s convention, the race could go to the voters to decide.
The school board races, however, are non-partisan.
In Park City, the seats currently held by Kara Hendrickson and Board President Erin Grady are up for election.
Hendrickson said she is not planning to run for another term. Grady did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
In the South Summit School District, Steve Hardman and Debra Blazzard would have to run again to retain their seats.
Hardman, in his 12th year in office, said he’s “heavily considering” another run, but would wait to see who else signed up.
Blazzard, who is nearing the end of her second term, said on Friday that she was undecided about another run for office.
In the North Summit School District, Kevin Orgill said he would seek another term.
Board President Vern Williams did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
For more information on the filing window and the 2022 election, visit the Summit County Clerk’s website.
