The deadline for candidates to file for the May 19 primary is over, leaving a mixed bag of high interest in a few races, mild interest in others and total apathy in more than a dozen municipalities.

It’s a crowded field at the top of the ticket for county commissioner — 10 Republicans and four Democrats, but not so much in other races. Nine boroughs don’t have any candidates for council and five townships don’t have any candidates for supervisor.

Even Butler doesn’t have a candidate from either the Democratic or Republican parties for city treasurer.

The townships without any candidate for supervisor are Cherry, Donegal, Muddy Creek, Parker and Summit.

The boroughs without a candidate for council are Cherry Valley, Eau Claire, Fairview, Harrisville, Mars, Petrolia, Portersville, Valencia and West Sunbury.

In the cases of Petrolia and West Sunbury, neither has a candidate for mayor.

Shari Brewer, county director of elections, said, if there are no candidates, people who live in these municipalities can run a write-in campaign in the primary.

These people would need 10 votes to be listed on the ballot in the fall general election. The 10 votes have to be of one party. If someone gets five Republican votes and five Democratic votes, he or she will not be on the ballot.

If someone is running a write-in campaign for the general election in November, they do not need 10 votes to win.

“They can win with one,” Brewer said.

If there are no write-in winners, then it is up to the municipality to seek and appoint board members. Brewer said it is up to individual municipalities to decide the criteria they are looking for in candidates.

Among the races for school boards in the county, Butler, Karns City, Mars and one region of Slippery Rock have enough candidates to have races.

Conversely, Seneca Valley, South Butler and two regions of Slippery Rock have no races because there are just enough candidates to fill out the ballot positions for the fall election.

Ed Natali, chairman of the Butler County Republican committee, said the committee plans on looking at which positions are open and which ones have no Republican candidates, and then it will look for people to be potential candidates.

“That’s one of our things, to try to get people to get involved in local government,” Natali said.

He said that these positions control a large amount of tax dollars and are good opportunities for people who may have an interest in getting into politics.

“The local government positions are important,” Natali said.

Georgiann Kerr, chairman of the Butler County Democratic Committee, could not be reached for comment.