We received a number of emails here at the office last Thursday, Oct. 27, that made it clear the 2018 election season is already up and running.

In the first email, Mayor Linda Kavanagh explained that she will not be seeking re-election in 2018. Kavanagh said that she felt the personal and professional goals she had established six years ago, at the beginning of her tenure, had been accomplished.

Two additional emails followed in short order, including one from current Councilman Cecil Yates and one from former Councilwoman Ginny Dickey. Both offered the same message; that they plan to run for mayor in next year’s election.

With the current election season wrapping up next week and the petition process for would-be 2018 candidates not occurring until April of next year, it feels a little premature to already be talking about next year’s mayoral race. Still, we can’t fault Yates or Dickey for their enthusiasm. That’s an admirable quality in any elected official.

We’ll have to wait until May of next year to see how the final mayoral and council ballots shape up but, for now, it’s clear that we’ve got another interesting race on our hands. Considering all of the moving and shaking going on around town these days, the 2018 election will be an important one for Fountain Hills, too.