For Bloomingdale village board: Ackerman, Belmonte, Shannon

The three candidates Bloomingdale voters choose to serve on their village board in a four-way race this spring will face some of the most important and complicated issues to confront the village in recent memory, ranging from housing development plans on part of the Indian Lakes Resort to the uncertain future of Stratford Square Mall and the community's retail sales base.

The good news is that all four candidates - incumbents Vince Ackerman, William Belmonte and Patrick Shannon and newcomer Azam Nizamuddin - are well-versed in the issues and appear prepared to make difficult decisions in a thoughtful and levelheaded manner.

The incumbents already have demonstrated an ability to work together and point to recent successes in helping the community grow, including the arrival of a Mariano's grocery; plans for a Woodman's grocery and gasoline station to replace the shuttered Macy's at Stratford Square; and even the return of July 4 fireworks.

Ackerman, a management leader at Deloitte Tax and Legal, brings a reasoned approach and points to the village's success in becoming more business-friendly. Belmonte is an attorney with a strong legal mind and background. Shannon, who was appointed in 2017, is a senior vice president at ML Realty Partners and brings a key real estate perspective.

We see no reason to switch horses in midstream, but we also are mightily impressed by Nizamuddin, a real estate attorney who has worked to build bridges among minority communities, who understands the issues and who has demonstrated an interest in protecting and expanding village green spaces. We urge Mayor Franco Coladipietro to find a board or commission post for Nizamuddin and to keep him involved.

For the immediate task at hand, though, Ackerman, Belmonte and Shannon are endorsed.