No one will be challenging Aberdeen's incumbent council members in the city's election next month.
No new candidates filed by the time the election deadline closed at 5 p.m. Friday.
The only candidates who have filed to run are the four incumbent city council members, incumbent Mayor Mike Bennett and a single challenger to the mayor, Patrick McGrady.
That mayor's race – the only one where voters will have a meaningful choice – is already heating up as McGrady got into a political scuffle with Bennett at Monday's city council meeting.
McGrady tried to speak during the public comment period by introducing himself as "running for mayor of Aberdeen," and Bennett cut him off.
"There is no campaigning in city council chambers," Bennett told his challenger.
When McGrady asked whether any rule actually forbids campaigning, Bennett replied, "We have never done that."
He said he would call McGrady out of order.
"We can sit here and stare at each other all day," Bennett said. "Please have a seat, sir."
McGrady replied, "I believe this is a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution," before sitting down and ultimately leaving the meeting.
Meanwhile, Art Helton, a former Aberdeen candidate, sent out an e-mail announcing a door-to-door campaign to promote Bennett's re-election starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Aberdeen's election will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 8 at Aberdeen Senior Center.
The mayor and all four council members elected in November will be the first to serve the four-year terms.
The incumbent council members are Ruth Elliott, Bruce Garner, Sandra Landbeck and Ruth Ann Young.
Last year, the city council passed a charter amendment extending the length of terms for mayor and council member from two years to four years.
The 2009 election had seven candidates for the council and three for mayor. The voter turnout then was only 22 percent, with 1,855 ballots being cast at the polls.
Bennett, who was first elected in 2007, is seeking a third term. McGrady has never run for city office but was an unsuccessful House of Delegates candidate last year.