All positions on the St. Joseph City Council are up for election next year and within just days of opening up petitions people have already started picking them up to make a run for office.

City Manager Bruce Woody said a total of nine positions on city council are open: St. Joseph’s Mayor and eight council seats. Incumbents and new candidates could start picking up petitions Monday. As we reported, Mayor Bill Falkner announced on Tuesday that he does not plan to run for re-election. Woody said by Wednesday, 21 people had picked up petitions and he knows of two incumbents who are planning to run for re-election.

“If they are running for mayor or an at-large position their petitions have to have 250 signatures of registered voters within the city limits of St. Joseph,” Woody said. “If they’re running for a council district position, and there’s five district positions, those candidates will need to have 75 signatures of registered voters in that district.”

He said petitions need to be turned in by November 21 but can be turned in as early as October 17.

“Once our city clerk has those petitions they’ll work with our county clerk to verify that there’s an adequate number of signatures of registered voters and that will allow them to be certified to be put on the ballot,” Woody said.

The primary election will be held in February and the general election will be held in April.

“At that February primary they will whittle it down to just two positions per opening, and six total for the at-large positions,” Woody said.