So, it’s Election Day on Thursday. Or so it is in Ward 6, where four contenders vying for the soon-to-be vacated alderman seat will be battling it out, hammer and tongs, in a preliminary election contest.

The excitement is nearly unbearable.

In spite of the importance of that race for the city, we can’t help but wonder why so few are stepping up to challenge incumbents and offer alternative ideas for governing our city.

Seemingly gone are the days when several wards would be represented in an election of this sort. No incumbents are being challenged in the various wards, nor has the mayor. Only two challengers for Alderman at Large are in the race this year. It just doesn’t seem right.

We need for the established powers-that-be to be challenged and questioned on their policies and records for successes and failures. And we need new blood coming in to present fresh points of view and shake up the system from time to time.

Some advocate term limits for all elected offices in the city. This would be a way to assure that new voices can be heard. On the other hand, this would also mean that we would lose a few very talented individuals who have represented us well and deserve to continue their work further. It’s a shame that a compromise on that issue cannot be reached.

Ultimately, it’s up to the voters to put the right people into place in our city government. But we need candidates in there who we can choose from. If they’re not there then we might as well just have a box on the ballot to check saying “same as usual.”