Green Park mayor

Editor’s note: This endorsement has been updated from the April 1 print version with information on when Ward 1 Alderman Michael Broughton’s seat is up for election. 

Green Park’s incumbent Mayor Tim Thuston has a challenge from Ward 1 Alderman Michael Broughton in the city’s mayoral race. Voting for Thuston is essentially a vote for the status quo for the city, with Thuston staying as mayor for another two years after a long tenure as alderman. Broughton will not be staying on as alderman, since this year two Ward 1 seats are up for election, including the seat Broughton has held since 2015.

We feel, and we believe residents will agree, that things have been going pretty well in Green Park and so we don’t see any reason to jump ship from Thuston now. Thuston says that he will only serve one more term, but feels that he has quite a bit to do. We’d like to see him accomplish that.

At the same time, we feel that Broughton is a transparent official who certainly lets voters know exactly what he’s thinking. City voters are lucky to have a race between two good candidates.

The Call endorses Tim Thuston.

Sunset Hills Board of Aldermen

Ward 2

Two newcomers are facing off in Ward 2, but neither are really newcomers because they’re very familiar faces. Marie Davis, the president of the board of the Southwest Area Chamber of Commerce, is running against insurance agent Christine Lieber.

Davis has been working in local organizations to make Sunset Hills better for decades, and Lieber is also involved in charitable causes. Both have run their own businesses. Voters have a choice between two strong candidates, but we believe that the many years Davis has already served the city would translate most effectively into service on the Board of Aldermen.

The Call endorses Marie Davis.

Ward 3

The Ward 3 race is also a choice between two newcomers: Randy Epperson and Andrew Tolch. While we applaud Epperson’s commitment to the police department and service on the Police Advisory Board, we think Tolch has shown a willingness to listen and respond to residents about tough issues that Ward 3 residents appreciate, considering they just elected Cathy Friedmann last year with a similar platform.

The Call endorses Andrew Tolch.

Ward 4

Like the other races, two newcomers are asking for voters’ support in Ward 4 — Fred Daues and Bruce Studer, who are both retired.

Like many of the other races, voters have a good choice between two longtime Sunset Hills residents who obviously care about the city. But in this race, we feel that Daues would serve voters well. He told The Call that he has knocked on the doors of every household in the ward and was starting again, and we think that commitment to hearing what residents are thinking will translate to valuable service on the Board of Aldermen.

The Call endorses Fred Daues.