Endorsement: Alfaro, Dixon, Good, Thoren for Elgin City Council

In Elgin, longtime city council member Carol Rauschenberger decided against running for re-election, and we are sorry to see her go. The onetime mayoral candidate has been a caring and effective member of the council for eight years.

But her departure means that at least one fresh face will join the council after the April 1 election even if the incumbents on the ballot fill three of the four seats that are up for election. As always seems to be the case in Elgin, there is no shortage of candidates for the city council this spring.

In all, eight candidates are running. Among them: Corey Dixon, a two-term incumbent who ran unsuccessfully for mayor two years ago; Dustin Good and Steven Thoren, both incumbents who are completing their first terms on the council; Diana Alfaro, making her second bid for the council; Maggie Beyer, secretary of the Elgin Township Republican Central Committee; Cecilia Ivana Brooks, secretary of the Kane County Young Republicans; Erik Bosque Pena, president of Friends of Masons; and former Elgin police officer Mark W. Smith.

Also as is usually the case, all of the eight offer interesting candidacies, and if elected, any of them would have something worthwhile to offer.

Elgin is a well-run city, responsive to its residents' concerns and needs. Partly because of that, we offer our endorsements to each of the incumbents — Dixon, Good and Thoren. We have endorsed Dixon and Good in the past, and while we did not endorse Thoren four years ago, we had been impressed by his candidacy. As members of the council, all three have shown themselves to be thoughtful, committed and well reasoned.

Dixon may seem a bit too ambitious at times, but his devotion to the community's well-being and his relentless involvement is hard to match. Good is a bit of a wonk in a charming way and tirelessly studious; he makes wise decisions as a result and always in the public interest. It's hard to say enough good things about him. Thoren is a solid and sensible contributor and an Elgin native who wears his love of the city on his sleeve.

We could make a solid case for many of the remaining five candidates, but Alfaro strikes us as the most compelling candidate and we give her our endorsement. Her experience working for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development prepares her well to focus on spurring Elgin's business growth and particularly within the Hispanic community. She hopes to increase community involvement and strengthen the city's technological infrastructure. All worthy goals.