John Ingerson/Screenshot via KAMR/YouTube

Longtime local resident John Ingerson has filed to run for the Place 1 seat on the Amarillo City Council this May.

Ingerson, a retiree, is running for the seat currently held by City Councilman Cole Stanley. Stanley is not seeking re-election to his seat, and is instead running for mayor. With Ingerson’s filing, the field for Stanley’s seat has already attracted six candidates and continues to grow.

In a post to his Facebook page, Ingerson said he decided to run for Stanley’s seat in hopes of improving Amarillo as a place to live.

“I waited this long because Cole and I have been friends for a long time and I told him it was his seat until he chose to do something different,” Ingerson said. “Now that he has made his announcement I am excited for the opportunity if elected to carry on the work he and others have begun and help make our city an even more awesome place to live.”

This will mark Ingerson’s third campaign for a seat on the City Council, as he previously ran in 2011 and 2015. In 2016, Ingerson was one of five finalists for a vacant seat on the City Council, but that position was eventually filled by Lisa Blake. Aside from his campaigns for office, Ingerson previously served as chairman of the Amarillo Parks and Recreation Board.

Aside from Ingerson, pastor Margie Gonzales, firefighter Josh Craft, Amazon employee Sherie Wood, claims analyst Kelsey Richardson, and retiree Ray White are also running for Place 1 on the City Council.

Filing for this election will continue through Friday. Election Day is May 6.