Incumbents Ryan Barker and Phil Swanson are running, along with Christina Watson, Merrill Sunderland, Tim Billings and Chris Pulver. Mail-in ballots are out, voting culminates Nov. 21 and the top three vote-getters will win seats.

Here’s more about the six contenders:

Chris Pulver: Pulver, a rocket engineer, got in the race stemming from some “bad calls” he says the City Council has made.

He singled out what he said was a council decision to override recommendations from planning staff and the North Ogden Planning Commission in rezoning a parcel to allow for storage units. The move, he said, preculdes the possibility of another commercial entity that generates sales tax for the city locating at the site.

“I want to make sure we’re sticking to the zoning and we do smart development,” he said. More commercial development, which he’d encourage, raises the possibility of more sales tax revenue entering city coffers, tempering dependence on property taxes.

He has regularly attended City Council and Planning Commission meetings, he said, and previously served on a committee formed to advise city officials on the crafting of North Ogden’s budget.

Christina Watson: Watson cited her involvement and passion for North Ogden.

“I love the city and I love being involved and I think the community deserves someone who will show up and be part of things,” she said.

She’s a communicator, she said, and touted the import of outreach to the public as a council member. Moreover, Watson, a stay-at-home mom, said she would add a “woman’s perspective” to the council if elected. She’s the only female contender, while the sole female currently on the body, Charlotte Ekstrom, isn’t vying this cycle though her term comes up.

No particular issue or concern with the current slate of leaders spurred Watson’s entry into the race. The city, she said, seems to be on a good path.

Phil Swanson: Swanson, going for his third term, cited his experience, particularly during some tumultuous times brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, flooding in North Ogden brought on by last winter’s heavy snowfall and rapid growth.

“I’ve been a steady hand in navigating through those issues and those difficult times,” he said.

He also said he has the stomach to make tough decisions and takes the time to understand the issues before casting his vote. “It’s easy to campaign. It’s not as easy to actually serve,” he said.

Continued growth, he said, will be the big issue to contend with going forward. City leaders need to make sure growth occurs “in the right way, in the right places.”

Ryan Barker: Barker, deputy chief and fire marshal for the North View Fire District, touted his approach to serving.

“I’m pretty straightforward. I don’t beat around the bush. I speak my mind,” he said. “I’m willing to speak up for normal residents.”

Key council priorities, in his view, are following through on completion of a pair of pending projects — development of a new stormwater detention pond to double as a recreation facility and construction of the public safety building. The pond is to take shape amid the 33-acre Patriot Pointe development while the new structure will serve as the police department headquarters.

Barker was first appointed to the body in 2018 to fill out the last two years of a vacant post. He was elected to his first full term in 2019 and seeks his second full term in office.

Tim Billings: Billings, sales manager for a manufacturer, cited his past involvement. “I’m service oriented I have a long history of it,” he said.

The big issue for him is boosting business development to generate more sales tax revenue for the city, easing reliance on property taxes. To that end, he said, other cities have taken steps to make sure they understand what new would-be business operators want and need, an approach he’d emulate.

Merrill Sunderland: A retired aerospace engineer, Sunderland says his focus would be keeping city spending in line. “That’s the main reason I’m running,” he said.

He said City Council members work hard, but he worries they have a tendency to rely on new taxes.

“I am against that,” he said. “Hold the line on spending.”

He was irked the city didn’t give residents a chance to make the call via a public vote on whether to bond to build the new public safety building now taking shape. Council members made the decision on bonding, as is allowed under state law, though they also had the option of letting voters decide.