The race for three Baldwin City Council seats has drawn several contenders as the candidate filing deadline nears for this year’s local government and school board elections.

As of Friday, three candidates have filed for the three Baldwin City Council seats that are on this year’s ballots. They are incumbent Dave Simmons and first-time candidates Nicholas Goodman and Jerry Smith. The four-year terms of Tony Brown and A.J. Stevens are also expiring, but neither Brown nor Stevens had filed for reelection as of Friday.

Simmons, an attorney, said he was seeking reelection because he thought the City Council had accomplished a lot during his first four-year term, and he wanted to work to complete projects such as the installation of a sewer interceptor in east Baldwin City and the redevelopment of the old gym at Eighth and Chapel streets as a community center.

Goodman, 28, and Smith, 79, said they are running out of a desire to get more involved in the community. Goodman, the director of residential life for Baker University, said he was curious about the steady increase in the city’s utility rates.

“I would like them to remain at least steady or find out why they keep going up,” he said.

Smith, a retired Kansas Highway Patrol officer and employee of Douglas County Water District No. 5, said he had an interest in the city’s infrastructure but wasn’t running with a desire to make changes.

“I don’t have an agenda,” he said. “I don’t think you should run for City Council with an agenda.”

The deadline for candidates to file with the Douglas County Clerk’s Office for this year’s city government and school board elections is June 3. This year, seats are up for grabs on the Baldwin City and Eudora school boards, the Baldwin City Council and the Eudora City Commission. The general election will be Nov. 5 and any primary elections that may be required will be held Aug. 6. Primaries in these races will only be required if the number of candidates is more than three times the number of open seats.

Other filings in Baldwin City and Eudora include:

• Baldwin City school board: Incumbent Kelley Bethell-Smith has filed for the Position 1, District 1 seat. Carrie Stevens has filed for the at-large position Bethell-Smith currently holds. Former board member Ande Parks is filing for the board’s Position 3, District 3 seat.

The board’s Position 4, District 1 seat is also on the ballot this year, as is the Position 2, District 2 seat. No candidates have filed for either seat.

• Eudora school board: Incumbents Bryan Maring and Lynn Reazin have filed for reelection to the board. First-time candidate Becky Plate filed in April. Three at-large seats are on the ballot.

• Eudora City Commission: Incumbent Ruth Hughs has filed for reelection. There will be three at-large seats on the ballot this year.