Two of Crestwood’s four wards have contested races in the Tuesday, April 6, Board of Aldermen election.

Three candidates — Daniel Himebaugh, James Kelleher and Jeffrey Schlink are seeking election to the Ward 2 aldermanic seat currently held by Gary Vincent, who did not file for a third, three-year term. Two candidates — incumbent Bernadine “Bernie” Alexander and Jerry Miguel — are seeking the Ward 3 seat. Two other candidates — Ward 1 Alderman Richard Breeding and Ward 4 Alderman Pat Duwe — are unopposed.

Ward 2 voters will have a difficult choice because we believe any of the three candidates would serve residents well. During the recent forum, all three were articulate, well-informed and appeared to have a genuine desire to serve their neighbors.

But of the three candidates, we believe Mr. Schlink was the most knowledgeable on the issues and the most focused on the needs of the residents of Ward 2 and the city as a whole.

Therefore, we urge Ward 2 voters to elect Mr. Schlink on April 6.

Voters who reside in Ward 3 will have a much easier choice as we believe, without question, they should re-elect Mrs. Alexander.

While Mr. Miguel has demonstrated a sincere desire to serve Crestwood residents, some of his views are quite troubling and often appear identical to those held by the Crestwood Smart Growth Alliance.

None of the candidates seeking election next week signed the petition for a state audit except for Mr. Miguel.

Not only did Mr. Miguel sign the audit, he collected the most signatures of any Crestwood resident. It’s ironic that while Mr. Miguel has advocated fiscal responsibility and restraint, he alone of the candidates felt it necessary for the city to spend $16,000 to $24,000 for a state audit at a time when the city can ill afford it.

That aside, we believe Mr. Miguel has failed to make a compelling case why Ward 3 voters should elect him over Mrs. Alexander, whose service on the board the past two years has been exemplary. With her probing questions, Mrs. Alexander repeatedly has demonstrated she has the best interests of residents at heart. She has shown a keen eye for the city’s finances and has not been afraid to vote against expenditures she believed the city could not afford.

Given her common-sense approach to the city’s affairs, we believe Ward 3 residents would be well served by re-electing Mrs. Alexander on April 6.