This year’s election will see nine city seats – mayor, four on the Austin City Council and four on the Austin Utilities Board of Commissioners – up for grabs.

Monday, July 17, 2000

This year’s election will see nine city seats – mayor, four on the Austin City Council and four on the Austin Utilities Board of Commissioners – up for grabs. With the filing period ending Tuesday, so far there are none that will require a primary and not enough candidates for the Utilities Board.

However, that could change.

Interested applicants have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to file, and City Clerk Lucy Johnson is betting she’ll have at least one primary to contend with.

Filings made so far are:

n Mayor, two-year term – Incumbent Bonnie Rietz filed July 10 for her third term as mayor.

n At-large council member, two-year term – Incumbent Dick Chaffee filed July 7 for his second term in the at-large seat.

n First Ward council member, four-year term – Appointed incumbent Neil Fedson and challenger Wayne Goodnature both filed Wednesday.

n Second Ward council member, four-year term – Challengers Peter Christopherson and Garry Ellingson both filed July 5, the first day of the filing period. Roger Boughton, who was appointed to the seat when Roberto Romo moved back to Spain last year, has not filed. Boughton has been unavailable.

n Third Ward council member, four-year term – incumbent Dick Lang filed July 6 for his second term on the council.

n Austin Utilities Board of Commissioners, four seats, three of which are four-year terms, one a two-year term – Larry Pfiel, who is serving on the board as an appointee, filed July 6. So far, Pfiel is the only person to have filed for a Utilities Board seat.

Applicants for political seats in Austin must be registered Austin voters and should be at least 21 years of age by the time they will assume office in January. Anyone interested should file with Johnson at the clerk’s desk located on the ground floor of the Austin Municipal Building at 500 Fourth Ave. NE by 5 p.m. Tuesday, when the filing period closes.