The City Council election in June could change the face of the city’s leadership as three of its members are up for re-election.
It could also prove to be contentious if it is like the 2017 municipal election in which eight different candidates originally sought the seats now held by Councilmen Warren Harhay and Kiernan McManus.
This year, the terms of Mayor Rod Woodbury, Councilwoman Peggy Leavitt and Councilman Rich Shuman expire in June.
Woodbury was elected mayor in 2015 after serving on the council. He sought the position after former mayor Roger Tobler was prevented from running again because of term limits. Woodbury said he plans to solidify his decision on running again shortly after the start of the new year.
“I try not to think about things like that or to burden my family too much over the holidays,” he said. “As always, I need to make sure my wife and my family are on board and supportive for another four years.”
Leavitt is finishing her second term on council and was first elected in 2011.
She said she is still weighing her options and hasn’t yet decided whether she will run for re-election to serve a third and final term.
Shuman is finishing his first term as a councilman. He was elected in 2015 and had previously served on the Planning Commission. He has not announced a decision about seeking re-election.
Issues such as controlled growth, historical preservation, city finances, off-road vehicles and the new aquatic center are likely to play a role in the election’s outcome.
Candidates can file to run for office Jan. 22-31. Those elected will serve a term of three years and five months after council approved changing its cycle to align with state and federal elections in March.
In order to run for City Council, a candidate must be a qualified elector of Boulder City and have been a resident for at least two years immediately prior to the election. Candidates can hold no other elected office and city employees are not eligible unless they resign from their position first.
If needed, the primary municipal election will be Tuesday, April 2. The municipal election will take place Tuesday, June 11.
Boulder City Review Editor Hali Bernstein Saylor contributed to this story.
Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.