On Jan. 5, the Monroe Common Council did the voters of their city a service.
On that date, the council voted unanimously against holding a spring mayoral primary. Instead, incumbent Ron Marsh, former Monroe mayor Bill Ross and new challenger Tyler Schultz will run against each other in the general election April 6.
The election will allow the 5,000 or so registered voters in Monroe to have the chance they deserve to hear multiple points of view on how the city will move forward with its challenges over the next few years.
To hear the three mayoral candidates discuss their plans everyone should attend the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry' candidate debate at 7 p.m. March 25, at the Monroe High School Performing Arts Center.
New questions have come up since early January when nominations for city office were made official, minus write-in candidates. Monroe voters will now have to elect someone to help manage City Hall in the absence of a full-time city administrator - a role Marsh has been fulfilling.
Whoever occupies this seat will have to find a way to pay for the potential new costs of the 8th and 9th streets reconstruction project, which the council voted to delay last week until 2011. The next mayor also will help lead the search for a new city administrator at some point.
To accompany the challenges the city faces, the next mayor will have to work with a different council, as at least one member, Kent Kallembach, will not be seeking another term as Ward 9's alderman.
There will be an added element to the three-man mayoral contest. Since three men are running, city voters will be faced with a classic political situation.
Will Schultz play the role of Ross Perot, and help hand Marsh or Ross a victory by taking votes away from one of them? Will Marsh or Ross play the Perot role?
Time will tell.
Regardless of who wins or how the voting breaks down, the next mayor has his work cut out for him.
On that date, the council voted unanimously against holding a spring mayoral primary. Instead, incumbent Ron Marsh, former Monroe mayor Bill Ross and new challenger Tyler Schultz will run against each other in the general election April 6.
The election will allow the 5,000 or so registered voters in Monroe to have the chance they deserve to hear multiple points of view on how the city will move forward with its challenges over the next few years.
To hear the three mayoral candidates discuss their plans everyone should attend the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry' candidate debate at 7 p.m. March 25, at the Monroe High School Performing Arts Center.
New questions have come up since early January when nominations for city office were made official, minus write-in candidates. Monroe voters will now have to elect someone to help manage City Hall in the absence of a full-time city administrator - a role Marsh has been fulfilling.
Whoever occupies this seat will have to find a way to pay for the potential new costs of the 8th and 9th streets reconstruction project, which the council voted to delay last week until 2011. The next mayor also will help lead the search for a new city administrator at some point.
To accompany the challenges the city faces, the next mayor will have to work with a different council, as at least one member, Kent Kallembach, will not be seeking another term as Ward 9's alderman.
There will be an added element to the three-man mayoral contest. Since three men are running, city voters will be faced with a classic political situation.
Will Schultz play the role of Ross Perot, and help hand Marsh or Ross a victory by taking votes away from one of them? Will Marsh or Ross play the Perot role?
Time will tell.
Regardless of who wins or how the voting breaks down, the next mayor has his work cut out for him.
