Ellington

The qualifying deadline for Chattanooga’s March elections that will determine the city’s new mayor and city council is Thursday, Dec. 20.

In order to be named on the March 5, 2013 ballot, potential candidates must reside within the city and the district they represent, according to Charlotte Mullis-Morgan, administrator of elections for the Hamilton County Election Commission. Potential candidates must also turn in their paperwork including a completed petition by Dec. 20 at noon.

“In order to qualify, candidates must have a petition with 25 good signatures,” said Mullis-Morgan. “We ask candidates to get 30-40 signatures [to be sure they get ‘good’ ones].”

Signatures that count as “good” are those that belong to a registered voter within the district the candidate is running in, she explained.

So far, in District 4, which includes many East Brainerd, Concord and Summit neighborhoods, incumbent Jack Benson, Larry Grohn and Ryan King have already qualified.

In District 6, which includes parts of Concord, Ooltewah, Summit and Tyner, incumbent Carol Berz has qualified.

In District 5, which includes the Bonny Oaks and Kings Point neighborhoods, incumbent Russell Gilbert has qualified.

For Chattanooga mayor, Andy Berke and Guy Satterfield have qualified.

For more information contact the Hamilton County Election Commission at 493-5100.