The September 15 Democratic primary is a big election at an important time in the city. City government is dealing with an abundance of serious problems: crime and poverty only two of them. The city needs a stronger tax base, economic development, jobs, better schools, and stabilization of some of its neighborhoods.

But there is also the sense that we may be at a tipping point. Property values have increased in some neighborhoods, and interest in downtown development is growing. Despite the city's problems, and despite its financial restrictions, with careful management and innovative initiatives, Rochester could make strong gains over the next few years.

It is a time that requires an exceptional City Council, one with intelligence, creativity, and initiative.

With 14 people running for the five seats up on City Council, voters may find it hard to sort out the field. There are no big issues dividing the candidates, no litmus tests. But the choices could not be clearer. There are some very bright lights among these 14. And unfortunately, there are a few very poor candidates, people who either temperamentally or intellectually are not what this council and this city need and deserve.

We are endorsing two of the four incumbents on Council - Carolee Conklin and Dana Miller - along with Jackie Ortiz, Matt Haag, and Loretta Scott.

Carolee Conklin: Bright, experienced, innovative, effective, blunt, and colorful, Conklin knows the city as well as anyone in government. She does her homework, almost always knows what she's talking about - and isn't afraid to say what she thinks.

When she joined City Council in 2006, she took with her a unique mix of experience: 30 years of public service, as the deputy city treasurer, the deputy county clerk, and, finally, city clerk, a position that gave her both history and insight into the day-to-day workings of city government. And she has proved to be a diligent, effective member of City Council, chairing the Community Development Committee and the Finance Committee. We do have one criticism: her relentlessly harsh criticism of the Rochester school district. We challenge her to expand her concerns with weekly, daylong school visits, to get a first-hand view of the district's challenges - and its successes.

Dana Miller: A Rochester native and graduate of Rochester public schools and the University of Rochester, Miller spent more than three decades at Xerox and is now vice president for development at the Rochester Area Community Foundation. Before being elected to City Council in 2005, he had built an impressive record of community work, chairing the City Planning Commission, heading the 19th Ward Community Association, and serving on the city's Environmental Commission.

We have found Miller to be one of Council's most thoughtful members: calm, patient, someone with a deep knowledge of city government and its challenges. He is sometimes less aggressive than he should be. As head of Council's economic-development committee, for example, he might have pushed early on for Council's discussion and involvement with Ren Square. But he is a valuable member of Council and deserves re-election.

Jackie Ortiz: Political newcomer Ortiz, a Rochester native and a graduate of Wilson High School, has a bachelor's degree in business management and marketing from Cornell. With five years' experience in marketing with SC Johnson and Birds Eye Foods, she now runs her own State Farm insurance agency. And she has extensive community service through such organizations as IBERO American Action League, Borinquen Dance Theatre, the Red Cross, and RochesterWorks.

Ortiz is a bright, dynamic young woman, and despite her lack of previous elected office, she seems to understand both the issues facing the city and City Council's role, limitations, and opportunities. She is easily one of the most impressive candidates we interviewed this season.

Matt Haag: Thoughtful, enthusiastic, and very bright, Haag is senior director of the University of Rochester's Office of Major Gifts and Regional Programs. Prior to moving to Rochester in 2006, he was deeply involved in neighborhood activism in Baltimore. He has a long-time interest in politics and a deep knowledge of city planning. And for a relative newcomer, he is surprisingly fluent in Rochester's recent history, its problems, and its potential.

An openly gay man, he has received support from the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which supports LGBT officials and candidates throughout the country. And he has picked up the endorsements of several local labor unions, including United Auto Workers Local 1096 and the Police Locust Club. He would bring experience, energy, and a fresh perspective to City Council - and, we suspect, strong leadership skills.

Loretta Scott: Commissioner of Parks, Recreation, and Human Services during the Johnson administration, the owner of a small business, and a history of volunteer service in a wide variety of community organizations, Scott would bring unusual experience to City Council.

Particularly because of her experience as a city official, she is thoroughly familiar with the city's challenges, including its fiscal stresses. She, like Conklin, has important institutional history. And her first-hand experience in some of the city's development efforts and in youth services would be an obvious asset.

The other candidates

John Lightfoot: We did not endorse Lightfoot when he ran for City Council four years ago. And earlier this year, when he was found guilty of probation violation after his third drunk-driving arrest, we recommended that he concentrate on his health and not run for re-election. To his credit, despite those clear rejections, Lightfoot agreed to our request for an endorsement interview. Unfortunately, this year, as four years ago, we were disappointed with his answers to our questions.

He is passionate about getting jobs for city residents, an issue he pressed hard during Renaissance Square deliberations. But his interests seem limited, and for someone who has served on City Council for nearly four years, he seems to have a shallow understanding of key issues. Those are major liabilities for a city with the serious challenges this one faces.

Gladys Santiago: Santiago has served on City Council since 1996, when she was appointed to fill a vacant seat. Since then, she has been elected three times to full four-year terms, and in 2008, at the end of a contentious and hotly contested session, City Council elected her president. Unfortunately, she has not showed the strong leadership skills that the position demands, a flaw that probably contributed to the confusion surrounding the last gasp of Renaissance Square.

There is no question about Santiago's commitment to the city, to the needs of Latino residents, and to public service. But she has not been a strong Council member, particularly in recent years. She rarely contributes at Council meetings and committee meetings, seldom asks clarifying questions. Like Lightfoot, her familiarity with important concerns is surprisingly weak for someone with her length of service.

Tom Brennan: Exceptionally bright, tireless, and dedicated to public service, Brennan has a background as a journalist and community-newspaper publisher, US Senate speechwriter, and small-business person. He has been active in neighborhood work and in politics and has served on several school boards - including, for the past four years, Rochester's. There, he has worked hard and often effectively, and we have no doubt that he would work hard on City Council. He can be charming and politically savvy, but he can also be prickly and harsh. He doesn't always use the best judgment. And he has been so antagonistic toward City Hall that it may be hard for him to serve effectively on City Council.

Sherry Crumity: A housing associate for the YWCA, Crumity has worked for the Rochester school district and the Urban League and has years of volunteer experience in community work. During the Neighbors Building Neighborhoods initiative under the Johnson administration, for instance, she co-chaired her sector's youth-services committee. She is far more knowledgeable about the complexity of the city's needs and the possible solutions than some of the Council candidates, and if one more spot were available on Council, she would have our endorsement.

Frank Martin: A Rochester school district employee for 12 years and a substitute teacher at Freddie Thomas High School for the last five, Martin is devoted to young people. He volunteers his time at Freddie Thomas school events and assists with school sports teams. He's not familiar enough with a broad range of government issues, however, and in our interview focused primarily on youth and school programs: the need for mentoring and alternative-education programs, for example.

Harry Davis: Davis is obviously interested in the fate of the city. And he is passionate, to put it mildly. Once he latches onto an issue, he won't let go, whether it's Renaissance Square or his personal experience with barking dogs and bedbugs. Persistent, sometimes angry, he phones, writes letters, posts web comments, and sends e-mails to a wearying extent (setting off, one day, a flood of "Take me off your e-mail list!" responses from many of the 1000 people* whose addresses he had gathered). He knows a good bit about the city's problems, but his temperament, unfortunately, would make him a difficult member of City Council.

Anthony Giordano: Giordano, who is making his fifth run for City Council, has been active in several neighborhood groups, and as we noted when he ran two years ago, he is enthusiastic and well-intentioned. But he is naïve about what city government and City Council can do. We continue to believe that he is not nearly as strong a candidate as many others in the campaign.

Norman Roberts: The senior pastor of New Hope Evangelical Church, Roberts has been active in a variety of community and neighborhood efforts, and he has held two positions with the City of Rochester: as an area manager in the Parks and Recreation Department and as a senior management analyst. In our interview, he focused on involving and empowering neighborhood residents. His knowledge of city government and its challenges are not as strong as they should be, however, to serve on City Council.

Anita Jones: A lifetime resident of Rochester, Jones has operated her own day-care center for 15 years, and she has been involved in numerous community activities, including the Children's Zone; Say Yes to Yourself, a youth and parent empowerment group; and the Youth Summit. She is passionate about neighborhood development and about the City of Rochester. She does not have a strong knowledge of city government and City Council's responsibilities, however.