Santa Feans concerned about the burglary resurgence, and amazed that a City Hall 7,000 feet up in the Rocky Mountains doesn't give its water meters the protection they need from cold winters, might be tempted to vent their wrath on a couple of city councilors seeking re-election a week from Tuesday.

But those operational problems have more to do with management than policy-making — and it's Mayor David Coss, appointer of top managers, who should be staying atop the day-in, day-out challenges of running this old, often-creaky community.

So glaring at the council would be short-sighted: The two incumbent candidates have served the city well — especially when it comes to the difficult and complex planning, land-use and water-supply decisions our community needs.

District 1 — We recommend re-election of Patti Bushee.

She has been on the council 14 years — yet approaches her responsibilities with the same zest she's always shown; the same willingness to delve into the details that lie beneath the surface of every item appearing on the governing board's agenda. That's an aspect of the job most candidates either don't know about, or choose to ignore during campaigns. Santa Fe's municipal history is littered with reams of homework unread — but not by Bushee; she's the ideal combination of political activist and policy wonk.

For the people of her northside district, and for the rest of the city, her contributions include:

• Crackdowns on drunken driving.
• Support for stronger police and fire departments.
• Timely notification to neighbors of projects planned for their backyards.
• Our community's nation-leading "living wage."
• Responsible development, including requirements that developers bring valid water rights to their projects.

District 2 — We think Rosemary Romero is the better candidate to replace the highly skilled, clear-thinking and tireless Karen Heldmeyer.

A professional in the demanding field of conflict resolution, she's proven strong, sensible and persuasive when it comes to wielding gavels and getting through agendas as member and leader of key planning boards and commissions. She has excellent environmental and preservationist credentials, but takes the analytical, not the noisily zealous, approach.

Her energy, diplomacy and studiousness make her the ideal next councilor from her community-involved district.

District 3 — Miguel Chávez, longtime resident and activist on behalf of of Santa Fe's west side, merits another term on the council, where he has been an effective partner to Heldmeyer and Bushee.

He knows his district's neighborhoods well; he actually lives there. And he has responded conscientiously to their concerns — crowding, noise and traffic among them. Park improvements, in his district and around the city, are among his accomplishments during two terms in office; so was his role in the living-wage effort, and adoption of the Southwest Area Master Plan.

Bushee, Romero and Chávez would work best with councilors Chris Calvert, Rebecca Wurzburger, Carmichael Domínguez and Ron Trujillo, elected two years ago. The three, along with Matthew Ortiz, running unopposed in District 4, can be counted on to cooperate with the mid-term councilors on issues of importance — while providing a balance against some of them when it comes to hasty and overzealous development of our preservation-conscious community.