OGDEN -- The Ogden City Council will be looking for a new member if current Councilwoman Amy Wicks wins her next election.
Shortly before the Friday afternoon deadline, Wicks filed for Weber County Commission Seat B, the seat currently held by Ken Bischoff, who is running for re-election.
She said it took a long time to decide whether to run.
"I had people trying to talk me into running for a while," she said. "I lost a lot of sleep over it and finally decided to file."
She believes people asked her to run because of the fiscal responsibility and transparency in decision-making she would like to add to the commission.
Bischoff has done a good job, she said, but has served for quite a while, so she thinks a change would do the commission some good.
Although Wicks has filed as a Democrat, she said she is not used to partisan politics.
"Most of the time, I've voted for the issue or the person, not the party, so this is a whole new ballgame for me," she said. "Hopefully it can bring some common sense and transparency to the commission."
If Wicks is successful, she would have to leave her Ogden council seat a year before her term expires.
She said the council would accept applications and make a joint decision about who the new member would be, but she hopes it would be someone willing to run for the seat in the next election.
She said she is still determining what, if any, level of involvement she would have with her current full-time job with the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, based in Ogden.
The Ogden City Council has proved to be a starting point for several campaigns.
Former Councilman Jesse Garcia is challenging fellow Democrat Neil Hansen, who is the incumbent for the Utah House District 9 seat.
Garcia said he thinks he has a good chance at winning the seat and looks forward to working toward that.
Working across party lines and reaching bipartisan agreements is what Garcia said he brings to the table.
"You don't sell yourself or your party out, but you have to at least communicate through a consensus," he said. "I think I would bring something a little different than what we have right now."
Although Garcia and Wicks have difficult races ahead of them, one first-time candidate is looking at a simple race.
John Ulibarri, a Weber County appraiser, is running unopposed for the position of assessor.
"I am very surprised and obviously very happy," said the Republican candidate.
He said it was a shock when no one else filed for the open seat, but he is confident in his skill and excited to serve the community.
Democrat Dee Smith also is running unopposed for county attorney -- the position he currently holds.
This is Smith's first election, as he was appointed to the position last year to replace Mark DeCaria, who was appointed to a judgeship.
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