Candidates file for November election

By Sun Advocate

The filing deadline for state and local public offices closed March 17 at 5 p.m. Candidates who met the deadline will be included on the November general election ballot.
An unexpected filing involved longtime Carbon County Board of Education member Walt Borla of Helper. Rather than running for re-ection to the school board seat, Borla filed as a Democratic candidate for District 67’s Utah House of Representatives position. The state office is currently occupied by Republican Darin Petersen of Nephi.
Petersen will not seek re-election to the Utah House. In the 2004 election, Petersen plans to challenge incument Leonard Blackham of Sanpete County for a Utah Senate seat.
Running against Borla for the District 67 position on state government are four Republicans. By last Wednesday night, John C. Ryan, Patrick L. Painter, Richard Moss and Ray Rowley.
A number of candidates filed for Utah Senate District 27 office currently occupied by Democrat and Carbon County resident Mike Dmitrich. Vying for the longtime state senator’s job are Republicans Vickie Syphrett Peterson and Phillip O. Peay as well as Constitutional Party candidate William P. Sharp.
District 69 covers a large portion of eastern Utah and the majority of Carbon County’s population. However, the only candidate filing for the Utah House of Representatives seat was incumbent Democrat Brad King.
At the county level, one commission seat will be up for grabs in November. Incumbent Democrat Mike Milovich will go after another four-year term in the county office. He will be challenged by Republican Gerald E. Lloyd.
In the county school board election, one seat will be contested – the position currently occupied by Grady McEvoy of precinct three. He will face Bruce M. Quinton at the November polls.Two other school board seats had one candidate file for the positions. Precinct one will find Robert Barry Deeter running for the slot. In precinct two, incumbent Debra Black-burn will be the only candidate running.
In the governor’s race, 14 candidates are battling for the office. They include Republicans Olene Walker (incumbent), Nolan E. Karras, Parley G. Hellewell, James V. Hansen, Gary R. Herbert, Marty Stephens, Fred Lampropoulos, Jon M. Huntsman and Gary L. Benson. Other candidates are Ken Larsen and Lawrence Ray Topham of the People’s Choice Party, Richard Mack of the Libertarian Party, Stone Teiko Fonua of the Constitutional Party and Democrat Scott Matheson Jr.
For attorney general, there are three candidates including incumbent Republican Mark Shurtleff, Democrat Gregory Skordas and Libertarian W. Andrew McCullough.
For state auditor ,Republican incumbent Auston G. Johnson will face Democrat Carlos Vasquez, Peoples Choice Party candidate Valerie S. Larsen and Libertarian Mike Stoddard during the election.
The state treasurer’s job will be up for contention as incumbent Republican Edward T. Alter faces Democrat Debbie Hansen, Peoples Choice Party candidate Mary A. Petersen and Libertarian Jim Elwell.
In national races, one U.S. Senate seat and two U.S. House of Representatives slots will be up for grabs in November.
At the Senate level, Republican incumbent Robert F. Bennett will face a challenge from Democrats R. Paul Van Dam or Cody Robert Judy, as well as Joe Labonte from the People’s Choice Party and Gary R. Van Horn of the Constitutional Party.
The 2nd congressional district race has seven candidates. Running against incumbent Democrat Jim Matheson will be Republican David A. Wilde, John Swallow or Tim Bridge-water. Also vying for the office are People’s Choice Party candidate Ronald R. Amos, Constitutional Party candidate Jeremy Paul Petersen and Green Party candidate Patrick S. Diehl.
No offices at the city level or the state school board are in contention in the Carbon area.