Bakersfield voters should return Harvey Hall to the mayor’s office for a third term. Hall, first elected in 2000, has served the city with honor and dignity through occasionally difficult times.

Challengers with appropriate credentials have not stepped forward — no doubt because Hall is widely regarded as having done a good job.

Hall’s vision of the job is not that of an aggressive, policy-dictating activist mayor. Hall believes his role is to promote the city, both to outsiders and to those of us who live here. His consistent theme has been “Unity in the Community,” and he has worked toward fulfilling that goal.

But Hall is not just about rhyming mottos. He rolls up his sleeves and goes to work.
He doesn’t just delegate, he’s out there picking up trash along the city’s roadsides himself.

Hall’s official powers are negligible. He casts votes at Bakersfield City Council meetings only on the rare occasions when he must break a tie, and he rarely involves himself in council discussion. His job is to conduct meetings — “referee” sometimes might be a more apt term — and he takes that role very seriously.

He is justifiably proud of the fact that he has good relationships with all of the council members, even if they don’t necessarily always have good relationships with each other. Hall has managed to stay above the factional politics that occasionally rears its head at city hall.

Hall presents a good face on Bakersfield’s behalf — to the region, to the state, and to the world. He is a professional, informed ambassador.

Hall’s challengers — Dennis Martinez, Joseph Caporali and Marc DeLeon — do not offer the kind of leadership experience the position requires.

Dennis Martinez, a 48-year-old construction company owner, has admirable passion for the city and for the job’s potential, but his grasp of the issues is lacking. He is encouraged to look for other ways to serve the community, such as membership on a nonprofit board or government committee.

Caporali , a 76-year-old freelance film director, has by all accounts lived a fascinating life. But his colorful past, which includes multiple marriages (some of which he can’t remember), would make a better screenplay than mayor’s resume.

Marc DeLeon, a 39-year-old tattoo parlor owner, did not make himself available for an interview with The Californian’s editorial board.

The election is June 3. If no candidate wins a majority of the vote, the race will go to a November runoff. The Californian urges voters make a mayoral runoff unnecessary and re-elect Hall.