There are five candidates for three at-large positions on the City Council when voters go to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Incumbents Russell Bonfiglio and Randy Daversa, both Republicans, are joined by three newcomers: Republican Michael Zanghi and Democrats Daniel Gonzalez and Jeremy Engquist.

Bonfiglio has quickly proven himself to be a no-nonsense voice on the council while Daversa has handled well his position as chairman of the council’s Public Works Committee. In our view Bonfiglio and Daversa should return to the council.

Each of the three newcomers bring an interesting background to this election. Gonzalez is a military veteran who has been heavily involved in student leadership while earning a degree at Jamestown Community College while, at the same time, raising children. Engquist is a special education teacher at BOCES who has volunteered as a youth sports coach. Zanghi, too, has Zanghi been a football and baseball coach in the area for a better part of 49 years, coaching from every level from youth through high school varsity.

As we have heard from other candidates this year, the at-large candidates have gotten the message that neighborhoods need more attention, with all three candidates saying absentee landlords need to be held more accountable than they have been in the past and that more condemned homes need to be torn down or fixed. Engquist wants to focus on bringing in higher-paying jobs and more citywide events, Gonzalez wants to figure out how to bring in more revenue and better jobs, while Zanghi looks forward to learning more about the city budget if elected.

We’ve said often this week that it’s good for city residents to have a choice when they step into a polling place to cast their ballots. This is one of the stronger classes of Democrats – particularly for the council’s three at-large positions – that the city Democratic Party has fielded in recent elections. Bonfiglio and Daversa have earned another term on the council while, in our opinion, either of the three newcomers would make a fine council member. We endorse Gonzalez for the seat, mainly on the strength of his work through JCC’s Veteran & Military-aligned Club. That work has included two recent lobbying trips to Washington, D.C., to speak about the needs of veterans who are pursuing a college degree. Zanghi and Engquist are good candidates, but Gonzalez has shown an ability to make things happen over the past couple of years at JCC. In our view he should be given the opportunity to bring that energy to the City Council.