Residents in Radium, Invermere and Area G will head to the polls November 19, barring any last-minute withdrawals by candidates.

For candidates in Canal Flats, Radium mayor Dee Conklin and Area F director Wendy Booth, Friday afternoon — when electoral officers in the valley stopped taking nominations for municipal positions — was a moment of victory, though acclimation won’t officially take place until October 24.

In Canal Flats, the acclaimed council will be made up of Gilbert DeLorme, Paul Marcil, Marie DeLorme and Evence Blanchard. Longtime councillor Ute Juras will be acclaimed as mayor, filling the seat of outgoing mayor Bruce Woodbury.

Conklin and Booth, both in their first terms, also faced no opposition for their seats. Booth’s fellow area director, Area G’s Gerry Wilkie, has one challenger: former Rocky Mountain School Board Trustee Roberta Hall, who announced her candidacy in last week’s Valley Echo.

In Radium all three incumbent councillors as well as three newcomers will compete for the village’s four council seats.

First term councillors Don Devlin and Clara Reinhardt are both back on the ballot, while veteran council member Ron Verboom will try for a seventh term. Joining them in the race are Karen Larson, Deborah Fischer and Todd Logan.

Invermere, the only community in the valley to boast a mayoral race this time around, will see two current members of District Council square off for the position: current mayor Gerry Taft and councillor Al Miller.

Two other councillors, Spring Hawes and Ray Brydon, are also hoping to be voted in for another three years — but they’re facing competition from a large field, with eight newcomers also tossing their hats in the ring.

Also vyying for election are Justin Atturbury, Dale Wilker, Richard Unger, Greg Anderson, Rob Dunn, Paul Demchuk, Stephanie Stevens and Dave McGrath.

With nominations closed, no new candidates may step forward. However, those who’ve declared their intent to run have until October 21 to decide if they are committed to the decision.

Candidates can withdraw from the race up until 4 p.m. that day by contacting their local elections officers. After that, getting out of the race requires permission from the Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.

Nominations may also be challenged until October 18. Voting for this year’s election will take place November 19