Seven people have qualified to run for East Ridge City Council in the November 8 Municipal Election.

According to the Hamilton County Election Commission, Gregg Shipley filed his papers before the noon deadline on Thursday, August 18 to qualify. It is Shipley’s first run for elective office.

Shipley will join Jim Bethune, Matthew DeGlopper, Esther Helton, Doris Rogers, Robert Stahl and Brian Williams vying for two City Council positions.

The seats on the council they wish to hold will not have incumbents running. Councilman Denny Manning will have served 12 years on the Council and is term limited. Vice Mayor Marc Gravitt, who is also District 30 State Representative, has chosen not to seek re-election to the East Ridge City Council.

Bethune served one term on the Council before launching an unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2014.

This is DeGlopper’s first bid for elective office in East Ridge. He is a small businessman, and he and his wife have two children who attend East Ridge Elementary School.

This is also Helton’s first run for political office. Helton is a lifelong resident of East Ridge. 

Rogers, a retired banker, ran for council in 2014, narrowly losing out in a bid to become the first woman elected to the East Ridge City Council.

Stahl is a banker who also ran for council in 2014. He has served on the city’s beer board for a number of years and has also served on several Charter Study Committees for the city.

This is also Williams’ first bid for elective office. He is employed in information technology with Quanta Services. He has served on the city’s beer board, including being a past chairman. He is married to Shelley Williams, a lifelong resident of the city and a graduate of East Ridge High School.