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With one week to go for candidates for school board, rent board and City Council to file their formal intentions to seek office, only one candidate had completed the process by Friday afternoon.  

That was Carol Hughes-Willoughby, a pastor and after-school care worker who has filed papers to run for City Council in southwest Berkeley’s District 2.  

The incumbent in the district, Councilmember Margaret Breland, has taken out papers to run, but has not yet returned them. Others running in District 2 include neighborhood activist Betty Hicks, Jon Crowder, a former candidate for mayor and Gina Sasso, who has run for the District 2 office previously. 

Incumbent Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek could face two opponents in the District 3 race: Marcella Crump-Williams and James Peterson, who is Shirek’s appointee on the Zoning Adjustments Board. 

Peterson, said, however, that, although he’s taken out the papers, he’s not sure if he’ll complete the process and run. “It’s not a fete accompli,” he said. 

In District 5, Councilmember Diane Woolley has pulled out of the race. Last week preservationist Carrie Olson took out papers to run against AC Transit Director Miriam Hawley. Since Woolley is not running, candidates have until Aug. 16 at 5 p.m., instead of Aug. 11 to take out and return election papers. 

In District 6, Incumbent Betty Olds has taken out papers and so has city planning activist Norine Smith.  

One new candidate, Walter Maurice Mitchell, took out papers to run for the two open school-board seats last week, but other obligations from his church took precedent, so he will not run, he said. So, thus far, it looks as if the race will be run by incumbent Joaquin Rivera, John Selawsky, Irma Parker, Sherri Morton and Donald Read. Papers in this race can be taken out and returned by Aug. 16, since incumbent Pamela Doolan is not running again. 

The four members of a “progressive” rent board slate are thus far unchallenged. They include: incumbent Max Anderson, Matthew Siegel, Judy Ann Alberti, Donald Read and Paul Hogarth.