Lewis and Clark County voters are in luck when it comes to candidates for County Commission. We're endorsing Liane Taylor, but we're convinced that either she or Andy Hunthausen would do an excellent job on the commission.

Both candidates, Taylor the Republican and Hunthausen the Democrat, are articulate, knowledgeable about county issues, and very bright. Each is young and energetic, and would add spark to the commission.

Taylor, a real estate broker, has been best known for her activism on the issue of county zoning, and Hunthausen, a school guidance counselor, has tried to broaden the discussion to other matters. Actually, however, the question of whether the county's initial attempts at zoning are a good first step or are premature played little or no role in our endorsement discussions.

Instead, given that we found both candidates well worthy of the job, we concentrated on the commission as a whole. Frankly, no matter which candidate is elected, the two current commissioners who voted for the zoning will remain on the three-member commission for the next two years. The zoning issue may or may not be settled, for now anyway, by a petition protest effort, but it probably won't be the subject of any big change in the philosophy of the majority of the commission.

Still, we think such a small sized commission needs as diverse a membership as possible in order to best represent the diverse population of the county. Decisions tend to be best when as many sides as possible are represented at the table.

A look at the history of the commission over the past few decades shows that Democrats are more likely to be elected. Remember that Anita Verone, the outgoing commissioner who was seen as the most "pro-development," was elected as a Democrat. It would not be surprising if that history repeats in 2006.

If so, as we've said, we'd be fine with that. But we're recommending Liane Taylor.

Liedle has experience

It should come as no surprise that we're endorsing Cheryl Liedle for re-election as Lewis and Clark County Sheriff. Liedle has much more experience than her opponent, William Lumma, and she has shown, both as a heavily relied upon undersheriff and during the past four years as sheriff, that she has what it takes to handle what can be a very tough job.

Liedle, who serves as president of the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, also has been active in community affairs. For instance, she is involved with the United Way and is a member of the local Advisory Committee for Mental Health.

As journalists, we've found Liedle to be professional yet open to the public's right to know. Her 19 years with the Sheriff's Department has seen her work her way to the top, and she's earned another four years at the helm.