Filing deadline is next week

HARTINGTON — The deadline for incumbents to file for another term in office is fast approaching. As of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, only seven elected officials up for election this year had filed to seek another term in office. Any current office holders who want to retain their seats have until Feb. 18 at 5 p.m. to file a petition. The Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office and the Cedar County Clerk’s Office will be open until 5 p.m. that day to accommodate anyone wishing to file a petition. Non-incumbents who are interested in filing for the Primary Election don’t have long to do so either. The deadline for non-incumbents who wish to challenge for an elected position is March 2 at 5 p.m. Candidates for Village Boards have until July 15 for incumbents to file and non-incumbents have until Aug. 3 to file. Only one county office is up for election this year. Dist. 2 Cedar County Commissioner Craig Bartels is up for election in 2020. He represents the southern third of Cedar County. Bartels filed to seek reelection in December. Two Hartington City Council members are also up for election this year. Chris Bartling must decide if he wants to seek a third term on the board. As of Monday, he had not yet filed for another four-year seat on the board. Roman Sudbeck, who was appointed to the Hartington City Council to fill out the unexpired term of Deb Addison, is also up for election. Sudbeck has already filed for the four-year seat on the board. The terms of Hartington-Newcastle School Board members Jason Heikes, Dana Rosener and Aaron Fuelberth are all up this year. To date, only Heikes has filed for another four years on the Board. It looks like Laurel could get a new Mayor. Current Laurel Mayor Mark Patefield has not filed for another term on the Board. Long-time Council member Keith Knudsen has filed for the spot, however. As of 5 p.m. Monday, Laurel City Council members Logan Garber and Chad Johnson had not yet filed for another term on the board. Three of the four Laurel-Concord-Coleridge School Board members up for election have decided to seek another term in office. Carol Erwin, Dustin Thompson, Sam Recob and Tyler Specht are all up for election, but to date, all but Specht had decided to seek another term. The Wynot and Randolph School Boards both have three Board slots open this year. Only one of those incumbents, Jim Scott of Randolph has thrown his hat in the ring to date. This year’s Primary Election is set for May 12. The General Election will be held Nov. 3.