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The race for five City Council seats is on.  

Eleven hopefuls made their intentions official by submitting nomination papers to the city clerk before 5 p.m. Friday. The five jobs up for grabs are the mayor’s and council seats in the 1st, 4th, 7th and 8th districts. 

“We’re out of the gate,” said former state Assemblymember and mayoral candidate Tom Bates who has filed papers for various political offices 11 times before. “I’ve been campaigning for weeks, but now it feels official.” 

Mayor Shirley Dean, who will be running for re-election against Bates, filed papers two hours before the deadline. “I was overwhelmed by people who offered to sign my nomination papers and it took some time to choose. I wish all of them could sign,” she said. 

Candidates are required to submit nomination papers signed by at least 20 registered Berkeley voters and no more than 30. The signatures are considered important by candidates because they provide a strong indication of community support. 

A third mayoral candidate John Boushell filed nomination papers on Aug. 1. Little is known about Boushell, and he could not be reached by telephone Friday.  

Candidates for the 8th District, which is expected to be a tough race, have until Wednesday to file papers because the seat they are vying for will be vacated by Councilmember Polly Armstrong, a three-time incumbent. The city’s policy is to give candidates extra time to file when an incumbent is not running. 

Despite the extended filing time, two candidates, Planning Commissioner Gordon Wozniak and Peace and Justice Commissioner Anne Wagley, have already filed. At least two others, Zoning Adjustments Boardmember Andy Katz and Green Party member Carlos Estrada, are expected to file on Wednesday. 

Berkeley Housing Commissioner Jay Vega also announced her intention to run for the 8th District seat, but she has not yet pulled nomination papers and could not be reached Friday. 

Wozniak, who filed on Friday, said he’s ready to start the campaign. “Why wait?” he said. “There are a lot of other things to be working on so let’s begin the campaign.” 

Councilmember Dona Spring will be defending her 4th District seat from three challengers, Former Rent Board Member Robert Migdal, David Freeman, a veteran of several city commissions and Citizens Environmental Advisory Commissioner LA Wood.Councilmemeber Linda Maio has only one challenger in the 1st District, Rhiannon, who like Madonna has only one name.  

Rhiannon is a neighborhood activist who serves on the West Berkeley Redevelopment Project Area Commission. 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington also has only one challenger in the 7th District, Peace and Justice Commissioner Micki Weinberg, an 18-year-old UC student. “I feel every Cal student has the responsibility to participate in local government to make Berkeley the best it can possibly be,” he said.  

Weinberg said he will campaign on issues such as crime, safety and affordable housing.  

Worthington kept his filing day tradition and signed in at the city clerk’s office just five minutes before the deadline. Worthington is seeking his third term as a councilmember.  

“The first time I filed, I was collecting signatures on nomination papers up to the last minute,” he said. “Since then it’s become a tradition to file at 4:55.” 

Currently the nine-member council is sharply divided between the moderate and progressive factions. The progressives hold a slim majority, 5 to 4. With five seats up for grabs, including the mayor’s seat, the power struggle could go either way. 

Most concede that the candidates are not in the race for the money. 

The mayor receives $3,127 a month and the councilmembers receive $1,975 each month. According to the city’s web site there are no medical benefits or vacation pay.  

“Why would people spend $55,000 (the average cost of a council campaign) to win a seat that pays only $22,000?” Worthington said. “In Berkeley we get a lot of candidates who run because they are passionate about their ideas.” 

There are also five seats on the Rent Stabilization Board and three seats on the School Board. The filing deadline for most of these seats has been extended until Wednesday.