Spokane County voters face two distinct choices in the county commissioner race.

Republican incumbent Phil Harris has 12 years of experience on the job and believes the county is doing just fine, thank you. If re-elected, he would stay the course.

“We’re not perfect, but we’re close,” he says of the county.

Democrat Bonnie Mager believes that the three county commissioners rubber-stamp all development, and the result is unbridled sprawl that erodes the county’s quality of life.

Mager entered the race to become the balance on the board of commissioners in terms of gender, political party and ideology. This balance is definitely needed, but Barb Chamberlain – the candidate best able to provide that balance – lost to Mager in the Democratic primary. This left voters with two very different candidates, each with baggage and liabilities.

Mager’s main focus has been land use. As co-founder of the Neighborhood Alliance of Spokane County, she has vigorously represented the concerns of neighborhoods in determining how land is used and developed throughout the county. She is also campaigning on the need for more openness in county government. Her campaign has prompted thoughtful discussion throughout the county on these vital issues.

But the county’s big challenges the next four years also include a workable solution to jail overcrowding, a revamp of the mental health system, prioritizing budget demands and figuring out how to build an environmentally sound wastewater treatment plant. Mager lacks significant experience working in these areas, and she doesn’t articulate a clear vision for solving problems that arise from them.

Her take-it-personally style of communication also has the potential to polarize the board of commissioners in a public way. The image of our entire region was marred a few years ago by “Monday night at the fights” when warring Spokane City Council factions waged destructive battles in televised meetings.

Harris gets along with his fellow commissioners and prides himself on his folksy, slap-your-back style of communication. But the county’s hiring of Harris’ three sons, legal or not, hasn’t played well among voters weary of cronyism.

Harris defends it by saying he fought in the military for people’s rights, and his sons had the right to apply for those jobs, and to stop them “isn’t American.” For a man who prides himself on a populist perspective, this answer shows a lack of awareness of how this perceived favoritism played among the public.

Spokane County commissioners act on behalf of 440,000 residents, oversee approximately 2,500 employees and sharpen their pencils on a $277 million budget. It’s a huge responsibility demanding high levels of integrity, professionalism and experience.

The endorsement goes to Harris, because his 12 years on the job and his institutional memory prepare him for dealing with the county’s pressing concerns. But he needs to do it in a less provincial and more professional way if elected to a fourth term as county commissioner.