In bursting Issaquah

Candidates for Issaquah City Council typically wince at the suggestion the city's Southeast Bypass defines their races this year.

There is so much more to Issaquah, after all. But candidates for City Council and mayor seem to line up for and against whether the bypass will help solve the city's traffic woes. The ambivalence is a symptom of a city bursting at the seams. Issaquah is growing fast, and if two neighborhood annexations are approved, the city's population will go from about 17,000 to 32,000. The growth tensions demand thoughtful, forward-looking leadership that guards quality of life.

• For mayor, incumbent Ava Frisinger deserves re-election for her stewardship of the city the past eight years. She's also a regional leader, which gives Issaquah more clout than its population number might suggest.

She is challenged by Councilman Hank Thomas, who proposed killing the bypass study. A smart, detail-oriented council member, Thomas does not make the case that Frisinger should be turned out.

• For Position 1, John Rittenhouse, a bypass skeptic, is the more-promising candidate to fill the open spot. The Microsoft program manager's service on the planning commission and specific hopes for the city give him an edge over Oscar Kelley, a data administrator and community volunteer.

• Two business owners, one retired, are vying for open Position 3. Eileen Barber, former Chamber of Commerce president and craft-store owner, and Connie Marsh, owner of a vintage-clothing store, have similar concerns about traffic and business climate. Barber's bigger-picture view, calmer demeanor and planning-commission service give her an edge over Marsh, a passionate citizen activist. Barber wants the bypass study completed.

• In Position 5, former City Council member Maureen McCarry makes a persuasive case for her return to the council. She left five years ago to start a family and is now retired after 15 years as a Harborview Medical Center manager. She has the edge over incumbent Bill Conley, who has served eight years.

• Incumbent Nancy Davidson's shrewd analytical approach to city issues and devotion to park development earn her a second term in Position 7. The civil-and-environmental engineer is critical of the bypass study for technical reasons.

Challenger Gail Brothers, a promising candidate with good ideas, should stay involved with city politics.