Redmond mayor | Two solid finalists

For the first time in 16 years, Redmond voters will have a new mayor, since Rosemarie Ives has opted not to run again.

Council members John Marchione and Jim Robinson are the best of three excellent candidates to succeed Ives. Former council member Holly Plackett is a solid candidate but does not have Robinson's depth of city policy experience nor Marchione's professional public-management acumen. Marchione and Robinson should more clearly define how they would set the tone for Redmond's new administration. Both have low-key styles that contrast sharply with Mayor Ives' spirited charisma. To their credit, both promise not to duplicate Ives' tight-fisted control of city staff and information flow and pledge they'll work more collaboratively with council.

That's good to hear, especially after the bitter budget dustup last fall between the mayor and the council. When the mayor proposed a budget that all but ignored the council's prioritization approach, the council's majority passed a responsible budget that did follow it.

As finance committee chairman, Marchione led the successful revolt. But Robinson stood with the mayor and felt iced out of the council's deliberations.

With a master's degree in public administration and several years working in municipal government, Marchione certainly has the public management experience to run the city. He decided to leave his job as finance director for the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue to concentrate on his campaign.

A council member of 16 years, Robinson is a committed public servant with a wry sense of humor. His experience as a Boeing financial analyst who has served on contract-negotiation teams could serve the city well.

We like Marchione's sharper view of budgeting — and the council majority's commitment to a priorities-of-government approach that gives a responsible nod to the proper role of government in a city with escalating home values and taxes. Though Robinson did not vote with the majority, he wants to scrutinize the city's revenue and spending to find savings that could help preserve the city's quality of life — a good sign.

In the next several weeks, both candidates should continue their discussions with Redmond voters about the kind of administration they would run and their philosophy about the city's proper approaches to taxing and spending.