The city of Arlington has faced some tough decisions the past few years. Mayor Barbara Tolbert has had to make many of them.

When the budget was next to nothing, she met with city departments to figure out a solution. The final decision included getting rid of some longtime, high-paid employees. Those moves have come back to be troublesome for her this election season, as opponents have come out strong against Tolbert’s bid for re-election.

The problem is, when asked by The Arlington Times Editorial Board what he would have done differently, Tolbert’s challenger, Craig Christianson, said, “Changes needed to be made,” including cuts. And that was not the only issue for which he lacked a different plan.

A lifelong Arlington resident, Christianson really cares about his community. He said he actually likes many of the things Tolbert has done as mayor. He said he does not want to be as negative toward her as some of his supporters are. He said even if he loses the election he wants to continue to work behind the scenes to help Arlington be the best that it can be.

We think that is the better role for him, and that Tolbert deserves to be re-elected mayor.

She has immersed herself in the what is supposed to be part-time job and become a leader with regional power. She excelled at leading the community during the Oso slide. While some say they saw it as self-serving, we saw it as doing just what a leader needs to do during a tragedy. She was supportive and empathetic, and later worked hard to get financial and other help to aid the communities in their recovery.

Sure, we have concerns, such as her close ties with the Arlington Fly-In. But just remember, it’s because of that experience she was elected mayor in the first place.

We also worry that people perceive that public safety and city morale is lacking, and all the problems with the airport are taking so long to fix. We encourage the mayor and City Council to work on those issues with improved communications. The mayor needs to tout her successes even more while also being more open to answering her critics.

Tolbert has been very professional during this time of growing pains in Arlington. While her term has had some issues, the good far outweighs the bad. She deserves your vote.