There is calm in Bisbee but it will not last long, there will be public appearances, and speeches, and issues will be raised that will have people choosing sides. The quiet will return after the elections are finished. Who will keep their promises and who has the ability to lead Bisbee, to get the streets repaired and the people excited about the future? I want issues and answers not promises.

The calm right now isn't a mystery. The popular candidate withdrew, the heir apparent is a shoe in because he represents continuity the other candidates failed to adopt. Good advice for future contenders would be to not repeat the mistakes of the past and listen to a small group of misinformed critics blinded by personal antipathy.

In our opinion Oertle and Pauken have well represented their offices and set a standard for this government that will be the benchmark for the future. Thanks to them and the professionalism and stability of their staff and council we finally have a capable administration free of the personal antagonism and in-fighting that was once so common. Things have been accomplished, perhaps not as quickly as we'd like, or as much as we'd want but those are the disadvantages of a small town budget and not because an administration lacked talent or leadership. While the perennial critics have blindly continued lodging unsupported complaints and criticism this administration has been running this town effectively and smoothly. The difference with the past has been refreshing. Those who failed to notice the improvement are living in a silo.