There are two spots open with five candidates running in this year’s city council election. Of the five, we believe there are three that are viable.

Two of them are not ready for prime-time, Randy Gray and Andrew Sarega.

Gray, a very nice guy, does not have enough exposure, involvement in the community, or City Hall insight. It is not like he hasn’t done anything however-he is past president of the La Mirada NJB (National Junior Basketball) and has done many other wonderful things for the community.

Sarega also has very little involvement in town, is ill-informed and much too negative. We see Sarega’s Dad around town more than we see Sarega, spieling a bunch of rhetoric, and basically sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong, irritating people, and making a mockery of the process without offering any real ideas or solutions for current issues.

That leaves Steve Keithly, Pauline Deal, and current Mayor Gabe Garcia.

Keithly is refreshing for La Mirada politics. With a strong business background and currently sitting on the city planning commission, it is indeed stimulating to hear someone from within the “organization” indicating we might want to consider doing a couple of things differently. We believe him.

By far, the number one issue or concern La Mirada residents have is the condition of our shopping centers.

Keithly speaks of finally addressing the needs of our dilapidated centers using whatever methods it takes-once and for all-instead of falling back on the same old excuses past council members have been using for decades. We believe him.

So that leaves Garcia and Deal for the last spot.

Last month, Garcia was involved in a single-car incident on Tacuba Drive, which resulted in some mangled parked cars and a DUI arrest.

There is a fine line whether you believe he should have resigned immediately or not.

Given time to think about it, we believe everyone makes mistakes and in La Mirada, Garcia deserves a second chance. We all should live in glass houses.

The current inexperienced and unmotivated city council needs his leadership and especially his experience in local government.

Deal, is a wonderful person, is more than capable and has served the community well, but she might be in the right race at the wrong time. Her appointment to council in 2011 for the departed Susan Tripp, may be hurting her, giving the perception she has not earned the position.

We believe La Mirada residents are looking for something a little bit different in the characteristics of their council members-being a little less submissive and a little more assertive.

We recommend you vote for Steve Keithly and Gabe Garcia for La Mirada City Council