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Steamboat Springs — All five Steamboat Springs City Council seats up for election this November will likely be contested.

"We have races," said City Clerk Julie Jordan, adding that she is happy to see the seats contested. "People have choices this year, which is great. It's always good to offer your voters a choice."

The eligibility of all candidates is pending the verification of nominating petitions, which were due to City Hall on Monday.

Previously unannounced candidates are Scott Myller, Vince Arroyo, Jon Quinn and Walter Magill.

Myller, owner of the architecture firm West Elevation, will take on current City Council President Susan Dellinger for a four-year District 1 seat. Myller, originally from Minneapolis, has lived in Steamboat Springs for 11 years. He said the current City Council has not paid enough attention to the middle class.

"I don't think this Council is doing a very good job at creating an environment that is good for people who need to work for a living," Myller said. "The loss of the middle class is going to hit us really hard."

Myller is a six-year member of the Steamboat Springs Planning Commission, children's soccer coach and youth group leader at his church.

In District 2, longtime Steamboat resident Meg Page Bentley will run against former City Manager Paul Hughes for the four-year seat to be vacated by term-limited Councilman Ken Brenner.

District 3

Magill and Arroyo likely will run for the two-year District 3 seat, to finish the term vacated by Kevin Kaminski in September 2006 and currently held by Councilwoman Karen Post.

Magill, owner of the new business Steamboat Engineering and Surveying, said it is a "tumultuous" time in Steamboat and that he would be more decisive than current council members if elected.

"I think it's taking too long to make decisions," said Magill, who has lived in Steamboat for 10 years and is originally from New Hampshire.

Magill is a Steamboat Springs Running Series coordinator, Town Challenge enthusiast and former principal of Landmark Consultants.

Arroyo could not be reached Monday.

Quinn will run against Post for the four-year District 3 seat, to be vacated by term-limited Councilman Paul Strong.

Quinn, a partner in Northwest Data Services, said his 20-month-old daughter is his biggest motivation to run for council because he wants Steamboat to remain a "great community to raise a family."

"The issues that are facing our generation are going to be crucial to Steamboat in the next decade," said Quinn, who has lived in Steamboat for 10 years and grew up in Washington, D.C. "Steamboat is an easy place to find a job, but a tough place to find a career. There are a lot of second homes out there, but not enough first homes."

At-large

In the race for the two-year, at-large seat, incumbent Towny Anderson will face Planning Commission member Cari Hermancinski and Dave McClure, a retired university librarian who moved to Steamboat about 18 months ago from Tennessee.

Rick Brodie, president and principal owner of TCD, picked up a petition to run for City Council, but said Monday that he changed his mind after talking to family, friends and business associates.

Former council president Kathy Connell had expressed interest in a District 3 seat, but withdrew her name last week due to potential term limitations after her lengthy council service.

Jordan said she would spend Monday night verifying the submitted petitions. Candidates will have until Friday to fix problems with their petitions. Jordan said the most common problems with petitions involve the 25 signatures of registered voters that candidates are required to obtain. The same person may not sign more than one petition, and all signers must include a physical address that matches their voter registration, among other requirements.

The City Council's seven total seats include two representatives each from District 1, District 2 and District 3, and one at-large seat. District 1 includes west Steamboat and much of Old Town. District 2 includes the mountain area, and District 3 includes south Steamboat.

Although candidates must run for a seat in the district they live in, or the at-large seat, all Steamboat Springs voters will vote on all the City Council races.