As journalists we get to engage ourselves with politicians during election campaigns more than the average voter. So we feel an obligation to share our observations about the Nov. 5 general election.

Marysville mayor: We are glad Michael Patrick ran for office. He has challenged Mayor Jon Nehring and the council to look at some new ideas, such as a hospital. But Nehring has proved to be an excellent mayor. We see no reason to change. We hope Patrick will run for City Council to get some experience – which is the route Nehring took years ago.

Marysville City Council: Steve Muller is one of the best leaders the council has. He has been part of a group that has done some amazing things for this city. While we appreciate Kathy Iverson running, it would be tough to unseat this incumbent.

The other race is a little tougher. We like the ideas Kelly Richards has brought to the table. He is very personable and gives us the impression he will listen to constituents. We appreciate the time Jeff Siebert spent in office, but Richards would bring much-needed new blood.

Marysville School Board: When Tom Albright talks, people listen. We certainly can’t blame him for all the problems the schools have. Challenger Halleh Stickels has been a no show at many events and just doesn’t seem that interested.

The other race is tougher. We certainly like having women on the board. But Mariana Maksimos also has not shown a lot of interest in letting us know she wants the job. Challenger Paul Galovin, on the other hand, is a ball of fire. He is similar to board member Chris Nation in that he’s not afraid to speak his mind. While Maksimos has been known to miss meetings because of work, Galovin has been going to them for months, better getting to know the issues.

Arlington mayor: This situation is very similar to Marysville’s. The city has an excellent mayor in Barb Tolbert, and there is no reason to change. We thank Don Vanney Jr. for contributing his ideas to the campaign.

Arlington City Council: Sue Weiss can be a bit of a maverick and can rub some council members the wrong way, and that’s one of the things that makes her an important member. She speaks her mind, which forces others to think. Michele Blythe has a place in government, but Weiss hasn’t done anything that requires a change.

Arlington School Board: Jim Weiss brings 16 years of board experience and a Boeing engineer’s that bodes well for increasing opportunities so kids are career and college ready. Sheri Kelly hails from a family of educators and is very active locally. We see no reason to change, but Kelly is very qualified.

Lakewood School Board: Jeremy Toponce was appointed to the board and that experience is enough that he should be retained. Steve Larson he wants to be involved in the community.

County sheriff: We don’t often discuss county offices, but we need to here. Ty Trenary is forward thinking and played a major role in the embedded social worker program. His opponent is more interested in putting drug offenders in jail, which has proved to not work as well. There are fewer deaths in jail and some Cold Case wins, too, for Trenary.

Initiative 976: We also don’t normally chime in on these either but just like with property taxes we think if you can afford something more expensive than you can afford to pay a little higher motor vehicle tax to help society.