This year's city council election looks to be a far more sedate event than the knock-down, drag-out mayoral contest that highlighted the 2007 municipal election.

Eight people ran for Rapid City mayor in last June's election and, in addition to that crowded mayoral field, 13 other people battled to fill four open council seats.

The field of candidates will be considerably smaller this year. Just two of the five open council seats will have contested races in the June 3 election, while three incumbents will return to office unchallenged.

Incumbents Karen Gundersen Olson, Lloyd LaCroix and Malcom Chapman, the only candidates in Wards 3, 4, and 5 to meet Tuesday's filing deadline, will automatically be retained in office for another two years.

We're surprised, and a little disappointed, by the lack of local challengers. Perhaps that's a recognition that serving on the city council is a demanding, often thankless, job. Perhaps it's a local reaction to the long national election cycle and the "election fatigue" we're enduring leading up to the November presidential election. Whatever the cause, it certainly will make for a far less interesting campaign for us all.

In the two contested races, Alderman Sam Kooiker will have a little-known challenger - Russell Oubre - in Ward 2. It will be interesting to see if Kooiker's reputation as a self-appointed council watchdog and his runner-up status in last year's bruising mayoral race helps or hurts his re-election chances. Oubre is a retired sales clerk and apartment manager.

Alderman Tom Johnson has two opponents in Ward 1 - Patti Martinson and Craig Kirsch - both of whom may benefit from Johnson's lack of good judgment following last year's city election. Johnson, a longtime council member, was pulled over in a car driven by an intoxicated 18-year-old cross-dresser in the wee hours of election night.

Martinson is an outspoken advocate of progressive causes, and Kirsch is the former owner of Two Wheeler Dealer stores in Rapid City and Spearfish.

Like the rest of Rapid City, we'll be asking about the issues, listening to the candidates and making our choices for those municipal seats sometime in the next two months.

To all the candidates, we say thank you for your commitment to public service, and good luck!