When Elba Garcia was our pick for best city council member three years ago, the competition was stiff. It was a tough call. Several people on the council were contenders. This year, it's different. In the competition to be the best, Garcia is already ahead of some on the council by virtue of not being the target of an FBI corruption probe. But she still has a solid lead, based on her tendency to do serious analysis of issues before shooting her mouth off. She's a mother and the head of a busy dental practice, so she's proof that the rest of them could find time for some homework, too. As former chairperson of the council's public safety committee, she steered an interesting middle course between general support for the police and a willingness to speak out against abuses. She will be a key player in putting Humpty Dumpty back together again whenever the current civic crisis gets resolved.

Readers' Pick
Mayor Laura Miller