Eighteen people are running for seven spots in city government, including five candidates for mayor and five candidates for a City Council seat representing the Heights.

The deadline to file for office was 5 p.m. Thursday. The Yellowstone County elections office saw four people come in to file in the last few hours.

With five candidates in each of two races, there will be a primary election, said county elections administrator Duane Winslow. Winslow estimated the cost of the Sept. 15 primary election at around $75,000.

Mayor

Dick Clark is a longtime councilman from Ward 5. He is in the middle of his third term and is retired from managing all of the former Kwik Way convenience stores. Clark said he'd work hard to bring the council closer together, even though the mayor really has no more powers than anyone else on the council.

Clark said he has thought about running for mayor for several years, and now that's he's retired, he decided to give it a shot. Clark said he wants to be a good ambassador for the city.

"I'd have one vote, just like I do now, but I'd be out front more and I think I could work well with the council," he said.

Clark is married and has three grown children.

Christopher Cook moved here eight years ago from Denver. He has been an active volunteer for numerous organizations in Billings, and works part time at the YMCA. He said he wants to improve transportation options with trails and other alternative modes of transportation. Cook said the city will have to deal with its financial problems in the coming years, and that he is good at making informed decisions.

"Fifteen or 20 years ago, I probably wouldn't have been very good at this position, but I've learned to listen and communicate in a different manner the older I've become," he said. "It would be really fun to go out and promote our city as the mayor."

Cook, 51, is married and has a daughter.

Tom Hanel, a former Billings police lieutenant, now works as a real estate broker in Billings. He worked for the Police Department for 20 years, retiring in 1996. He then moved to Big Timber, where he served as mayor and a member of the City Council. Hanel said he would wait to explain his plans if elected mayor until he can talk with city officials to gather more information.

He said he's not disappointed with the way the city is run, but thinks that he can help improve Billings. He is running for mayor because he has watched the people who have filed so far and "I just feel like I can do a much better job," he said.

Hanel, 54, is married with three grown children and two grandchildren.

Ray Tracy, who owns a small business in the Heights, said he wants to improve relations between the mayor and the rest of the City Council. He also said the city faces serious financial issues and that a cohesive council could find ways to help the city through tough times.

Tracy said he'll also try hard to keep the city out of legal problems.

"The City Council must work hard, must work smart and must work together," he said. "What we need to do is go through the budget line by line as a City Council, arduously go through and see what we need to cut. But, at the same time, I won't cut public safety."

Tracy is married with three children.

Mike Yakawich is a South Side minister and activist. As mayor, Yakawich said, he'd push for inner-city revitalization and improving social services for those in need. Yakawich also wants to improve neighborhood safety.

He said he wants to be a positive mayor for the city, and improve the sense of community in Billings.

"What I see overall is lot of people are very interested in community, and want a government that reflects the community," he said.

Yakawich is married with five children.

Ward 1 City Council

Amy Cowley, 45, filed Thursday afternoon for the spot in Ward 1. She couldn't be reached for comment.

Incumbent Jim Ronquillo, 65, is a lifelong resident of the South Side and retired after working for Montana-Dakota Utilities. He was elected to his first term in 2005. Ronquillo said he has three goals to accomplish if he's elected to a second term.

First, he'd like to get the South Park pool back to its original size. He said running numerous pools is expensive, but South Park has had a footprint for a larger pool for many years. The wading pool there is slated to be demolished and possibly rebuilt as a splash park because the pool doesn't comply with new federal regulations.

Ronquillo's second goal is to increase the amount of affordable housing on the South Side. His final goal is to prevent any new correctional facilities from being established on the South Side.

"Some other side of town, if they want them, they can step up to the plate," he said.

Ronquillo is married and has three adult children.

Ward 2 City Council

Tom Binon, 50, works on aviation electronics at Aerotronics, a business at Billings Logan International Airport. He said traffic is a major issue for Heights residents, and he'd like to see the city increase traffic enforcement. He also said he'd like to improve city parks and provide more recreation opportunities for children. Binon would also like to see Main Street become more of a destination shopping area, instead of a busy corridor where people shop on the way home.

"I look at Main Street, and too much of Main Street looks like an industrial park," he said. "It looks like someplace more to avoid at times, not as a destination."

Binon is married and has a son.

Angela Cimmino ran for the council in 2001 and 2005 and lost both elections. In 2008, Mayor Ron Tussing appointed her to fill a vacant Ward 2 spot, but the council rejected the appointment in favor of Larry Brewster.

Cimmino has long been active with local organizations and on government boards. She said transportation issues are of critical importance for Heights residents. She wants to see the city complete the numerous road projects it has undertaken in the Heights. She also wants to promote managed growth and development, and she's worried about the city's financial health and said she would never approve a budget that's not balanced.

Cimmino, 49, is engaged and has three grown children and two grandchildren.

Mark Higgins, 36, is a state-licensed user and provider of medical marijuana. He is working toward opening a medical-marijuana store in the Heights, and introduced himself to the City Council at a meeting in May. Higgins said he was angered that no one on the council wanted to discuss his plans, so he decided to run for the council.

Higgins said he's running on the medical-marijuana platform, which he said involves pushing for its acceptance as medicine. He said the current council doesn't listen to the public as it should.

"I would let everybody who came into the City Council meeting say something," he said. "I would at least give them a platform to talk about it. That's what City Council meetings are for."

Higgins is married with children.

James Knox is the owner of KBS Computer Solutions in the Heights. He said he solicited ideas from many of his customers about what the city needs. Knox said he wants to start a citywide recycling program, and he wants to encourage the council to be more responsive to the needs of residents. He also said the city needs to be friendlier to small businesses.

"What I heard most often was that the City Council doesn't listen to citizens," he said. "City government needs to be more receptive to the public, and more small-business friendly. There needs to be some fresh direction."

Knox moved to Billings four years ago from Albuquerque, N.M. He is married with children.

Collin Nelson, 25, filed for the seat Thursday afternoon. A University of Montana graduate, he wants to provide more options for people who live in the Heights. Nelson said Heights residents have to drive across town to the West End for much of their shopping.

"I kind of feel as though we've been shunned off to the side," he said. "I'd just like to bring more services to the Heights, so people don't have to drive 40 minutes just to do something."

Nelson is single.

Ward 3

Richard McFadden, 53, ran for this seat in 2005 and lost to "Shoots" Veis, who decided not to run again. McFadden, who is running unopposed, has lived in Billings for 25 years and works at Evergreen IGA. He said the city needs to work harder to achieve a balanced budget so that the city avoids layoffs.

"From there, I just want to be of good service to the residents of Ward 3 and represent them as best as I can," he said. "I'm just the guy down the street in the neighborhood who decided that I could make a difference on the City Council."

McFadden is married with two children.

Ward 4

James Dershian, 49, a letter carrier, said he's tired of the way government is being run. Dershian said he has decided to do something about the problems facing Billings, including "brain drain," in which youth leave for college and do not return.

"I'm looking at my 6-year-old, and my 4-year-old, and I'm wondering if they're going to do the same thing," he said. "I want (a college) where kids can go to school, get a two-year degree and not have it cost an arm and a leg. How many kids have to leave here to get an education?"

Dershian is married with two children, and has lived in Billings for six years.

"I'm definitely a Christian. I believe in God, and I have that kind of a basis for what I do in life," he said. "I'm a very conservative individual."

Ed Ulledalen is finishing his first full term as a councilman. He was appointed to his seat in late 2004 and won election in 2005. An investment adviser since 1983, Ulledalen said he's worried about the city's financial health. He said many people in Billings have wish lists for increased services, but the city is still working with a limited amount of money.

Ulledalen said the council has become more organized in recent years and is more dedicated to long-term planning.

"How do you best allocate scarce resources?" he said. "We've got almost a limitless number of needs and a restricted ability to contribute fees and revenue streams to fund those things. The City Council is inherently a job about conflict. How do you resolve those conflicts and make decisions?"

Ulledalen, 51, is married with two children.

Ward 5

Mark Astle, 64, was appointed to his seat in January 2008. He is the owner of ML Schuman Co., a Billings firm that sells promotional products. Astle said his main goals are to limit the number of lawsuits filed against the city and to work to ensure the city's financial health. He said he has learned a lot about the workings of city government and wants to continue serving the city.

"The two years (council appointment) was a gift to me, and the four years if I get elected is what I need to give back to the city, now that I know what goes on here," he said.

Astle is married with two grown children.

Dennis Ulvestad, a security officer at Rimrock Mall, is also the chairman of the West End Task Force. He served in the U.S. Navy and has been involved in local organizations. Ulvestad has a list of ideas if he's elected, including encouraging green building, reviewing the city's tax structure, increasing use of the MET Transit system, improving city parks and focusing on public safety.

"If I had a choice of tearing up a sidewalk or hiring a police officer or a firefighter, I'd hire the police officer or firefighter," he said. "That's the number one concern for the people of Billings."

Ulvestad is married and has lived in Billings for 50 years.

Other races

Billings municipal judge: Mary Jane Knisely (incumbent, unopposed).

Laurel

Mayor: Ken Olson (incumbent).

City Judge: Jean Kerr (incumbent).

Ward 1: Doug Poehls (incumbent).

Ward 2: Kate Hart.

Ward 3: Chuck Dickerson (incumbent).

Ward 3 (unexpired term): Chuck Rodgers.

Ward 4: Alex Wilkins (incumbent).

Broadview

Commissioner (5 seats open): Jeffrey Barber, Travis Fears (incumbent), Jessica Ivie (incumbent), Bryan Juhas (incumbent), Roger Swartz.