It’s been almost 20 years since North Bend’s Mayor Ken Hearing was duped into public service, and it’s going to take a few more before he leaves it, he hopes.

“I’m going to run for one more term,” Hearing said in a phone conversation with the Record last week. “I’ve got one more in me, then I’m out.”

Mayor since 2004, Hearing, started his work on the city’s planning commission, at the urging of the city officials he was then criticizing. He admitted he was being “a pain” in his opposition to the new medians being put in on North Bend Way, because he was worried about the impact on his restaurant, Scott’s Dairy Freeze.

Today, he is still looking at ways the city can support local businesses. “I would still like to see the downtown revitalization… in the mid ‘90s, I served on what was called the economic revitalization committee.”

North Bend, with about 6,000 people and a $6 million general fund budget, has a lot on the horizon. About 800 new homes will be added to the city in the next year or so. The city is also one year into a five-year and possibly longer police contract with Snoqualmie, has embarked on a significant road repair campaign funded by a sales tax increase that voters approved in 2011, and is in the midst of significant repairs to its aging wastewater treatment plant.

There is also potential for a change in city leadership, since four of the seven council positions will be on the November ballot, but Hearing isn’t expecting much, if any transition.

It would be nice to see more people interested in serving the city on the council, he said, but “People get involved when they feel like there’s something wrong… when there’s something they can help with.”

If re-elected, Hearing intends to retire from the restaurant business at the same time he retires from public office, so he’s hoping to find a new owner for Scott’s in his fourth term, and maybe a new mayor.

Hearing was recently voted the best mayor/city councilman in the Valley Record’s annual Best of the Valley reader survey. It’s an honor he’s won a few times in recent years, including last year, but he remembered the first time he won it, under a different title and some skepticism.

“The very first year (as mayor), I was voted as the Best Politician,” he said with a laugh. “I wondered, ‘Is that a good thing?’”

November votes to decide many local offices

North Bend: City Council positions 1, 3, 5 and 7 will all be on the ballot. Incumbents Dee Williamson, Position 3 and  Ryan Kolodejchuk, Position 7, have confirmed that they plan to file for re-election. Jonathan Rosen, Position 1, and David Cook, Position 5, have not announced their plans.

Snoqualmie: City Council positions 2, 4 and 6, are all up for election, with incumbents Chelley Patterson, Kingston Wall and Charles Peterson, respectively. Peterson has indicated he will run for re-election.

Carnation: City Council positions 1, 3 and 5 are up for election. Incumbent Lee Grumman, Position 3, has confirmed that she will run again, and Erin Chamberlain, Position 5, will not run again. Fred Bereswill, Position 1, has not announced his plans.

Duvall: City Council positions 2, 4 and 7, held respectively by Leroy Collinwood, Becky Nixon and Jason Walker, will be on the ballot.

Snoqualmie Valley School District: Three school board districts, 2, 3 and 5, have expiring terms. Incumbents Geoff Doy, District 2, and Carolyn Simpson, District 3, have both said they will run for re-election. Dan Popp, District 5, has not announced his plans.

Riverview School District: Four school board seats will be on the ballot. Districts 2, 3 and 4, represented by Jodi Fletcher, Carol Van Noy and Danny Edwards, respectively, have expiring terms. A partial-term position, for District 5 will also be listed. The seat was left empty when Greg Bawden resigned from the board to go to work for the region’s educational service district.

Si View Metropolitan Park District: Commissioner positions, 4 and 5, will be on the ballot. Incumbents Bud Raisio and Brenden Elwood have both said they will file for re-election.

Fall City Metropolitan Park District: Positions 2, 3 and 4 are on the ballot, with incumbents Lee Moderow, Terri Ann Campbell and Kirk Harris, respectively. Harris has confirmed that he plans to run again.

All candidates must file for election between Monday, May 11 and Friday, May 15, in-person at King County elections, by mail or online.

King County Elections is hosting two free two-hour workshops for candidates, 2 to 4 p.m. on Friday, April 24, and 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 25, at the King County Elections headquarters, in Renton.

Reservations are required for all who plan to attend. Send e-mail to election.operations@kingcounty.gov to RSVP.