MATT DRISCOLL: PRIMING THE PUMP FOR A MEMORABLE ELECTION SEASON  >>>

It’s all happening, Tacoma, right before our eyes.

Election season. God love it. Soon Tacoma will have a new mayor and many new faces on the City Council.

Throughout the coming months the Weekly Volcano will do our best to bring you the news and information that really matters when it comes to choosing who will lead our City of Destiny into the future. What are the issues that impact Tacoma â€" and its districts â€" most? Who has a real plan for bringing our city out of the dark ages? When Joe Lonergan grows up will he wear suspenders like his father? These are the questions we’ll answer.

Here’s a look at how the races are shaping up so far:

Mayor

Two hats are in the ring, and both carry clout in Tacoma. Current Tacoma City Councilmember Marilyn Strickland â€" a visionary, former Obama delegate and all around legit voice for Tacoma’s often unheard and almost entirely un-represented masses â€" will be facing off against Jim Merritt, he of Merritt Architecture. Both candidates have plenty of supporters, and it should definitely be interesting to see how this one boils down.

District 2
So far, incumbent Jake Fey is the only candidate officially running. Unless something surprising happens, or a candidate comes out of the woodwork, expect Fey to triumph in this one-person race. If he manages to lose, he obviously didn’t deserve it.

District 4
Oh, this one is going to be hot â€" and probably get a little ugly. Democrats Roxanne Murphy and Marty Campbell, both well-respected and supported in Tacoma, are vying for the Eastside seat. Campbell’s got a longer resume, but Murphy has a history of being one of Tacoma’s finest employees and also has an obvious passion for lifting up the Eastside. This one is particularly difficult for us at the Weekly Volcano, since Murphy has contributed to the paper in the past. Of course, we also love the hell out of Campbell’s Stadium Video and Buzzard Records. Decisions …

District 5
Connie Ladenburg is out (damn term limits, she screams!) so fresh faces Joe Lonergan (yes, Mike’s son) and Rebecca Summers-Kirby (yes, State Rep. Steve Kirby’s wife) will do battle to see who takes this South Tacoma seat.

At large position 6
Replacing Mike Lonergan â€" who’s been nothing short of masterful at wooing the at-large voters â€" firefighter Keven (I spell my name funky) Rojecki and Victoria (very few people want to mess with me) Woodards will be dueling for at-large position 6. Woodards seems like the early favorite, but if we’ve learned anything here at the Weekly Volcano it’s to never doubt a firefighter. You’ve seen Backdraft, right?

So, there you have it, Tacoma. It’s setting up to be quite an election season, and the Weekly Volcano will be right in the middle of it all â€" your source for the questions that matter most.