Utah County’s options for the upcoming municipal and local school board elections in November are taking shape as the candidacy filing period is now more than halfway over.

Citizens who wish to have their name on the ballot this fall must declare their candidacy and have all required paperwork completed and filed to the appropriate election official by Friday at 5 p.m.

So far, more than 140 candidates have already filed, with nearly half of those vying for a seat on school boards in the emerging new districts across Utah County.

After residents voted last November in favor of splitting the Alpine School District three ways across different sections of the county, work is underway to form the new districts.

The tentatively named Aspen Peaks School District, encompassing cities in the northeast portion of Utah County and a portion of Draper; Lake Mountain School District, which includes cities in northwest Utah County; and Timpanogos School District, encompassing cities at the south end of the current Alpine School District, all have seven school board seats up for grabs.

As of Wednesday, 59 people have thrown their hats into races to run for the 21 school board seats making up the three future districts.

Utah County Commissioner Skyler Beltran says the response so far in the new school board races signals a high level of interest from residents regarding the future of education in Utah County.

“The more competition we see, the better candidate (pool), the better discussions (and) the better outcome that we will have,” he said. “So all of these filings show that there are many people who are willing to put their name on a ballot.”

The creation of new school districts is still somewhat unknown territory in Utah County, so elections division officials weren’t exactly sure what the candidacy turnout for school board roles would look like.

But Beltran says the numbers so far are impressive.

“It is a lot (of candidates). And, you know, we didn’t quite know what to expect because it’s the first time, (and) we were well prepared with plenty of packets and staffing,” he said.

Candidates so far range from current Alpine School District Board of Education members, local educators, local elected officials and various engaged citizens with a passion for education.

Beltran noted the biggest response for school board seats has been in the emerging southern district. Coincidentally, that’s the area where residents in the cities of Lindon, Pleasant Grove, Orem and Vineyard did not have a chance to vote on the split, because their city councils were initially opposed to forming their own district.

“Six of their seven seats have already qualified for a primary (election). So that’s quite the hot spot in the Timpanogos (district) for sure,” Beltran said

While many will certainly keep an eye on the progress of school board races, candidacy declarations are also underway for numerous mayoral and city council roles.

At least one area where the race for mayor is heating up is in Eagle Mountain.

Current Mayor Tom Westmoreland is coming to the end of his second term in office and would like another one as the city’s leader. He officially announced his reelection earlier this week in a press release, but he faces opposition from City Council members Melissa Clark, Jared Gray and Donna Burnham for the mayoral seat. Eagle Mountain resident Duncan Searcy has also declared his candidacy for mayor.

“That’s definitely an unheard of scenario,” Beltran stated.

In Lehi, Mayor Mark Johnson is also facing the end of his second term, and it’s still unclear if he will seek reelection. Meanwhile, City Councilman Chris Condie has announced his candidacy for the seat. Former City Council candidate Charlie Tautuaa and resident Paul Binns have also filed candidacy to run for Lehi mayor.

Pleasant Grove Mayor Guy Fugal has announced that he will not seek reelection in November, but City Council members Cyd Lemone and Eric Jensen are vying for the role.

“There will absolutely be some change, and the mayorships are very important for the county,” Beltran told the Daily Herald. “Each mayor is a member of our Mountainland Association of Governments, so they’re instrumental in planning for future growth in transportation, where we’re spending our transportation and transit funds as the county. So the mayoral races are definitely going to be fun to watch.”

Potential candidates have until Friday to file their paperwork. From there, the county elections divisions will determine which races will have primaries and which ones will proceed directly to the November general election.

Beltran encourages those who are still on the fence about running for school boards or roles in city government and want to make a difference in the community to consider taking a stand.

“What do you have to lose? You know, throw your name out there and better serve your community,” he said.

Municipal candidates must file in person at their respective city recorder’s office. Candidates for local school boards or Spring Lake municipal office should file in person at the county clerk’s office in Provo.

More information can be found on the Utah County Government’s website.