On September 18, Democrats in Rochester's northeast and southeast areas will vote for their district City Councilmember in their party's primary election.

No Republican is running in the Northeast District in November's general election, so the primary winner will have a seat on Council come January. And while there's a Republican candidate for the East District seat (which serves the southeast area), city residents vote so heavily Democratic that the winner of the primary will probably win in November.

It has become increasingly hard to give readers information that will help them decide whom to vote for in many local races. For offices like City Council, there are no litmus-test issues, and there are no simple solutions to most local problems. Candidates certainly have positions on important issues, but underneath the campaign rhetoric, there's basic agreement on nearly everything. They want City Hall to reduce crime, improve economic development, and take care of neighborhoods. Don't we all?

The important criteria for voters, then, become these: do candidates know enough about the office they're seeking that they can serve well? Do they understand the challenges city government faces, and do they know the limitations government has in addressing those challenges? Are they intelligent enough to serve?

Will they be collegial representatives, knowing when to push for what they want and when to compromise, or will they be gadflies or bomb-throwers? And will they represent their constituents well? Will they listen and advocate for constituents' needs without abdicating their responsibility to serve the larger community?

Here are our assessments in the two City Council races.

City Council, northeast district

It's not easy to decide between candidates Jim Bowers and Lovely Warren. Both know the city and its challenges well, and there's not a hair's breadth of difference in their opinions about those challenges. If you look hard for things that distinguish them, here's what you come up with: Bowers is an older white man; Warren is a young black woman. Bowers is backed by his mentor, former Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson; Warren is backed by her boss and mentor, State Assemblymember David Gantt.

About the only points of contention in this race: Bowers has lived in the northeast district for 19 years; Warren moved there two years ago. And in what some Democrats charge was a political deal, Warren was appointed to Council in March to replace longtime Councilmember Ben Douglas, who suddenly resigned to take a position in the Duffy administration. That lets Warren run now as an incumbent.

Both Bowers and Warren have a strong record of community service and first-hand knowledge of how government works. Bowers, a St. John Fisher political-science professor, has been active in neighborhood work, was a member of the Rochester School Board from 2002 to 2005, and chaired the board's finance committee part of that time. Warren, an attorney with a degree from Albany Law School, has been David Gantt's deputy counsel for seven years.

Bowers is bright and enthusiastic, and during his campaign he has come up with some interesting ideas. He suggests giving tax abatements to people who buy homes in areas needing revitalization, for instance. During his early service on the School Board, he seemed volatile, which wouldn't be helpful on City Council, but he appeared to mellow later.

We have sometimes found his positions to be a little shallow, however. In the current campaign, he criticizes the Duffy administration's "flirtation with buying Midtown Plaza," for instance, which indicates that he didn't understand the pressures that brought about that consideration. He suggests that "city leaders have forgotten that every neighborhood counts." While we, too, are concerned about some of the Duffy administration's decisions - increasing the number of vacant properties that developers can buy at city auctions, for instance - Bowers' conclusion is too flippant.

Warren has grown since she narrowly lost her bid for an at-large City Council seat two years ago. In her short time on Council, she has been thoughtful and engaged.

And in our candidate interview this year, we were especially impressed with her understanding of the complex decisions that city officials must make, particularly when those decisions may run counter to the wishes of an individual neighborhood. She, like David Gantt, is a forceful advocate for the needs of the poor, but she argues for mixed-income housing to break up the concentration of poverty in her district. And she sees the need for strong investment in downtown.

We don't like the kind of political dealings that we assume put Warren on Council a few months ago. We also don't like Bowers' shameless tactic of calling himself "City Councilman Jim Bowers" on his campaign literature. We wait breathlessly for the day when politicians become holy.

Our endorsement goes to Warren.

City Council, East District

In this race, for the Council seat that serves most of the southeast area of the city and downtown, the difference between the two candidates is stark, and the endorsement - of Elaine Spaull - is easier.

Spaull, the party's designated candidate, is a former tax lawyer who left the field seven years ago to head the Center for Youth Services. While she needs to learn a little more about some subjects, including the challenges in economic development, she's bright enough to catch on quickly. And her service at the Center gives her insight into the problems facing many city families and their children.

Spaull has attended the funerals of murdered teenagers. She has helped guide a successful "alternatives to suspension" program in several city schools. If what we've seen so far is an indication, she could help guide City Hall, in collaboration with the school district and social-service agencies, to address the poverty and crime that are eroding this city's future.

Spaull's opponent, Anthony Giordano, is an enthusiastic, well-intentioned man making his third run for City Council. He is, in his words, "best known for selling his own brand of birch beer soft drink," Anthony's Premium Birch Beer. He's studying at MCC and has been active in several neighborhood groups.

Like other candidates, he's concerned about public safety, wants the city to boost economic development, wants more affordable housing, and wants better schools. His proposals are often naïve (he says city officials could bring a major grocery store and major national retailers to Midtown Plaza if they were simply more "proactive") or are outside City Council's jurisdiction (he promises he'll fight for smaller class sizes in schools).

Spaull is much the stronger candidate, and we look forward to her service on City Council.