Want to run for office?

This is the year. This is the year that you buckle down and actually run for city council. Or maybe you want to be mayor.

Good for you.

Here's what you can look forward to: long Tuesdays, an occasionally angry public, a chance to spend more money than most people can dream about, an in-depth knowledge of how a city actually works, an appreciation for city services and for representing the people, many of whom will call you. You'll need to answer them.

The job can be agonizing and rewarding, hopeless and fulfilling, exhausting and energizing.

And maybe, just maybe, it's your turn.

But you have to get elected first, meaning you have to file as a candidate.

Starting Wednesday in nearly every city in Utah, and for two weeks, city recorders will welcome future candidates for city council and mayor as they pay a modest filing fee and add their names to what will eventually become November's ballot.

If you have your family's blessing, sign up, says Brian Hall, training director for the Utah League of Cities and Towns.

But there are a few things you ought to know on your path into local government:

Know your job

Many people get involved in local politics without knowing what kind of government their cities have, Hall said. A few forms of government exist in Utah, and knowing if there's a separation of powers between the mayor and the council is important.

Just five cities — Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake City, Murray and Provo — operate with a council-mayor form of government in which the mayor functions like a chief executive. But in most cities, the city manager is the CEO and carries out the council's wishes while the mayor runs the meetings and represents the city in the community.

Council members essentially operate and make decisions as a committee. That means working together, Hall says, even when votes don't go your way.

Time keeps on tickin'

Jesse Garcia, who is seeking a fifth term on the Ogden City Council, said his biggest surprise was the time commitment to being on the council. Ogden holds two public meetings each week. And then there are leadership conferences and various committee meetings at which he represents the city.

JT Martin, who is halfway through his first term on the Salt Lake City Council, said his elected position is basically another full-time job.

"There's not a day that I don't have a meeting," Martin said, acknowledging that the demands on Salt Lake City council members are larger than other cities. "You have to learn to manage your time."

Lisa Watts Baskin, a North Salt Lake councilwoman, said she spends about 20 hours a week on city issues.

So it's nice to have a job that allows flexibility to adequately represent what your city needs.

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