The District 3 City Council race may be Salt Lake City's most interesting this year. Eric Jergensen is seeking a second term representing the Avenues and Capitol Hill areas and also is considering running for mayor in 2007. Mayor Rocky Anderson is backing Janneke House, who recently took over Salt Lake County's Zoo, Arts and Parks program. "She has a good sense of what it takes to get things done and not delay them interminably, which we've unfortunately faced from some members of our City Council," Anderson said Monday. "Having more women in elective office is really a good thing, especially when they have progressive views." Derek Dyer is keying in on the need for diversity in his bid to unseat Jergensen. Dyer, an artist, said he wants to bring "more balance and diversity" to the council and noted he is not Mormon and is a Democrat. "We could have used a more progressive, open-minded individual on the City Council, someone who was willing to work with the mayor rather than butting heads," Dyer said. Jergensen, who is LDS and said he usually aligns himself with the Republican Party, maintains such affiliations shouldn't matter in the race, which is officially nonpartisan. "The idea of diversity really needs to be one of ideas and not one of labels." Edward James Aho is also running in District 3. Seven candidates are seeking the District 7 seat in Sugar House being vacated by Dale Lambert. Anderson backs Deedra Hansen Lambert, no relation to Dale Lambert, though the mayor also has kind words for Soren Simonsen, who sits on the city's Historic Landmarks Commission. In District 1, incumbent Carlton Christensen faces four challengers in representing the northwestern neighborhoods. Councilwoman Jill Remington Love is running unopposed in District 5. - Heather May