The filing period for the Aug. 18 primary isn’t until the first week in June, but local officials are starting to make decisions as to whether or not they will seek re-election.

In Bothell, four of seven City Council positions expire at the end of this year. In Kenmore, three City Council spots expire. And on the Northshore School District Board of Directors, time is running out on three seats.

So far, from among the potential candidates talked with, only one, school-board member Gene Hawkridge, has announced a decision not to run for re-election.

Finishing up his second term on the board, Hawkridge said his reason for not seeking a third term is simple: He wants to spend more time with his newly born granddaughter and the rest of his family.

“Serving on the board, while very rewarding, takes a quite a bit of time,” Hawkridge said.

Hawkridge did not know of anyone who might be running to take his spot on the board. According to one school source, a Kenmore woman, active in a number of PTAs, intends to run for the seat Hawkridge is vacating.

The two other expiring school-board spots belong to board members Sue Buske and Cathy Swanson. Both said they intend to run for re-election.

“I still feel like there are some things I can contribute to the district,” Swanson said.

“I think I have the best interests of the students at heart,” stated Buske. She added she knows she may face some opposition, but claimed the support of several school groups, as well as plenty of teachers, principals and other district leaders.

While they still must file in early June, unlike other local officials, school-board members do not have to participate in the summer primary unless more than two candidates file to run for any one seat.

In Bothell, the four expiring City Council seats belong to council members Sandy Guinn, who also serves as deputy mayor; Joshua Freed; Patrick Ewing; and Del Spivey. Guinn and Spivey both intend to run for re-election, while Freed and Ewing still are undecided.

While Guinn did not return a phone call for this story, she has said in the past she intends to run for re-election. For his part, Spivey said he definitely plans to again seek voter approval.

“I think there’s some projects that we’ve started that I would like to see through,” Spivey said. He mentioned some well-publicized undertakings such as the rebuilding of downtown and the realignment of the city’s state routes. But he also talked about Bothell acquiring more park land, among other issues.

Ewing said there are “a lot of factors” playing into his decision as to whether or not to seek a third term on council. For Freed, the issue comes down to possibly wanting to spend more time with his large family, which includes five children. Freed said he can and has met his responsibilities to both his family and the city, but wanted to gauge his family’s feelings on the subject of his re-election, making sure he is serving both the city and his family as best he can before moving forward.

In Kenmore, the expiring council seats currently belong to Randy Eastwood, Allan VanNess and Laurie Sperry. Both VanNess and Sperry indicated they will seek re-election. Eastwood did not respond to a request for comment.

“I don’t feel like I’ve finished all I want to accomplish,” Sperry said, describing Kenmore as “a work in progress.”

Sperry is already getting her campaign under way, having launched a Web site, www.lauriesperry.com.

VanNess said he deliberated for a while before deciding to throw his proverbial hat into the proverbial ring one more time. VanNess retired from his practice as an orthodontist last summer and said he now has plenty of time to devote to city business and contends he is able to do his job better than ever.

“I now feel like I’m accomplishing something,” VanNess said.

For persons interested in the Bothell council race, filing is done in King County regardless of whether or not a potential candidate lives in the King or Snohomish county portions of the city. All candidates for any office must be registered voters and pay a filing fee to run for office. The filing period is June 1-5. For more information on filing, go to the King County Elections Office Web site at www.kingcounty.gov/elections.aspx.