Deseret News: Filing Window for Municipal Candidates Cut in Half

We're hoping that a whole fresh wave of Council candidates will throw their hats into the ring for the 2013 Election, to inject a little new blood into an Ogden City Council which has in many respects been the "dullest" Ogden City legislative body in years

More news showcasing the slavish law-making efforts of the 2013 Utah Legislature  this morning, as the Deseret News puts the spotlight on GOP Rep. Curt Webb's HB403, which "passed the state Legislature earlier this month as the 2013 lawmaking session was winding down."

The lead paragraphs provide the gist:

SALT LAKE CITY — Municipal candidates in Utah will have a smaller window in order to get their names on the ballot, thanks to a new piece of legislation that goes into effect this spring.
Residents can now submit their candidacy for mayoral and city council positions between June 1 and June 7, which is eight days fewer than they were afforded in previous years. The compressed timeframe is a result of HB403, which was introduced by Rep. Curt Webb, R-Logan, and passed the state Legislature earlier this month as the 2013 lawmaking session was winding down.

Check out the full Jeffrey D. Allred story here:

• Filing window for municipal candidates cut in half

In view of this latest legislative development, we'll also accordingly take the opportunity to let this story serve as a reminder, O Gentle Ones, of our own upcoming Ogden City Municipal Elections, which are virtually right our the doorstep, with Primaries set for August 13, 2013, and  Municipal Elections scheduled for November 5 of this year. We're already hearing encouraging murmurings via private channels of new "council candidate challenger slates,"  and "council house-cleanings" and such, so we'll encourage all 2013 Ogden Council hopefuls to "circle" the dates June 1 and June 7, and to actively begin the process of getting your ducks lined up. The clock's ticking; the opportunity window is narrow; and "snoozers will be losers," of course.

In that connection, council hopefuls, we'll post this list of all Ogden City Council seats which are "up for grabs" this year:

• Council Member Bart Blair - At Large Seat B
• Council Member Neil K. Garner - Municipal Ward 1
• Council Member Doug Stephens - Municipal Ward 3
• Council Member Susan “Susie” Van Hooser - At Large Seat A

Over the course of the eight years during which we've covered Ogden Municipal Elections, we've rigorously vetted all Council candidates and sliced, diced and Ginsu-knifed all election issues, in addition to providing plenty of plain old-fashioned fun.  So get ready folks, for the same kind of robust, grass-roots WCF citizen journalism this year.

In that same connection we're hoping that a whole fresh wave of Council candidates will throw their hats into the ring for the 2013 Election, to inject a little new blood into an Ogden City Council which has in many respects been the most "dull" and "lumpencitizen unfriendly" Ogden City legislative body in years.