The election season kicks into high gear during the coming week as ballots hit mailboxes and candidates appear before the public.

A number of local positions will be decided during the Nov. 8 general election and voters can officially make their feelings known once ballots arrive; in King County, mailing will be Oct. 19 and in Pierce County ballots will go out Oct. 21.

A session for city council candidates in both Enumclaw and Buckley, sponsored by The Courier-Herald, is planned for 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the auditorium of the Glacier Middle School Annex in Buckley.

The debate format will include the two candidates running for Enumclaw City Council Position 2 and the four candidates chasing the Position 6 and Position 7 posts on the Buckley City Council.

Also Thursday, a candidate forum will be staged in Black Diamond, featuring candidates for seats on the Black Diamond City Council. The session, sponsored by the Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce, begins at 7 p.m. at the Black Diamond Community Center.

Tonight, Wednesday, the Thunder Mountain Middle School PTSO hosts Enumclaw School Board candidates Tina McGann and Dan Peterson at their regularly-scheduled meeting. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Thunder Mountain library.

Tuesday, Green River Community College and the Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce host a candidate forum. The session begins at 7:30 a.m. at the GRCC Enumclaw campus on the corner of Griffin Avenue and Porter Street. Invited are all candidates for seats on the Enumclaw City Council, Enumclaw School Board and Fire District 28 board of directors.