The residents of Escanaba will be making a big decision on Tuesday when they decide who will be elected to fill three open positions on city council for the next four years. This time, a majority of council seats are up for renewal.

Those running for public office include the incumbents of Patricia Baribeau, Thomas P. Warstler and Leo J. Evans. The two challengers are Walter "Pete" Baker and Ronald J. Beauchamp.

Residents have had the opportunity to attend a candidates' forum in which potential council people were able to express their views on issues to the electorate. We also have been running stories about each candidate and where they stand.

In the meantime, the Daily Press editorial board also has interviewed each candidate. Each candidate was asked the same questions that dealt with why they thought they were qualified, why they were running, their primary focus if elected, how to handle fading revenue sharing and the three issues they thought were the most important currently facing the city.

The editorial board took those answers into consideration as well as how we felt people would work together to move the city along. After weighing all of the information, we ask the voters to vote incumbents Baribeau, Warstler and Evans back into office.

The reason for our endorsement to go this way involved a lot around the experience this group has working together. Even though two of the three have not served a full term on council, they come to the table with plenty of experience. Baribeau has 25 years of public administration behind her as well as a Masters in Public Administration from Central Michigan University. Warstler has been on city council for more than two years now and has been a city, village and township manager in the past with a lot of other experience with all levels of government. Finally, Evans has served the city for 13.5 years has built up a reputation of being approachable and working well with a team.

Not only does this threesome have experience, but they also have worked together in a time that required some calm, level thinking in this city. The city has had plenty of upheaval in the past, but since the last city election, the current council has worked together well and moved in the right direction on a lot of projects. Sometimes the moves were difficult, but once residents saw what was being accomplished, the majority have come to see it was not a bad course to take.

There are plenty of projects still remaining on the table and new projects that haven't even made it to the table yet. The other fact is times are going to become more difficult as financing for the city gets tighter. This city needs a team who can work together to make the difficult decisions and steer us through the obstacles that lie ahead. We feel Baribeau, Warstler and Evans are the right choice to do this.

These three incumbents also have a lot of the same goals they want to achieve and view the same problems. The main issues they feel need dealt with quickly are the roads, financing and the power plant. These are big issues that have to be dealt with quickly, but it will not be easy because of revenues involved. We feel Baribeau, Warstler and Evans are the right ones for the job.

To borrow a line from Evans, we feel this trio has proven to be a good working team and should be kept together. This city has finally entered into an area of calm and has done a lot of good for the residents. This threesome has moved the city forward and looks to continue down the path of growth. Because of these reasons, the citizens of Escanaba should vote for Baribeau, Warstler and Evans on Tuesday.