Staff writer
Marion will have a full ballot for the city election April 1 with three candidates for mayor and five candidates for two council seats.
Incumbent Mayor Mary Olson will seek her third term. She unseated Martin Tice in 2007, then defeated challenger Steve Smith in 2010 while Smith was on the council.
Council member Todd Heitschmidt and resident Steven A. Unruh are running against Olson. Heitschmidt was elected to the council in April 2012. He is president of the Marion branch of Central National Bank. If Heitschmidt is elected, the council will appoint someone to fill the remainder of his council term.
Unruh declared his intention to run for mayor at a council meeting in October.
Incumbent council member Gerald “Jerry” D. Kline is running for a third term. The other council member whose position is up for election is Chris Meierhoff. He did not file for the election.
Chad A. Adkins, Duane A. McCarty, Melissa Mermis, and David Mayfield also filed for the council election. Adkins is a teacher, McCarty works in law enforcement, Mermis is a registered nurse, and Mayfield was the city administrator from September 2002 to December 2010. Mayfield filed shortly before the deadline at noon Tuesday.