Cairo's future

The fact that there are 36 candidates seeking office in Cairo, Ill. -- 10 are running for mayor and 26 for six council seats -- probably has more to do with the city's recent political turmoil than a pure sense of civic duty.

For four years there has been an ongoing test of wills between council members and Mayor Paul Farris, who is seeking re-election.

It may take years to determine if Farris' no-holds-barred style of leadership was just what Cairo needed or was merely a self-serving exercise in unchecked authority. But Cairo's voters have just two months to make up their minds. The city's primary election is Feb. 27. The top two vote-getters in each of the races will be on the April 17 general-election ballot.

Cairo's location at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers has always been seen as ideal for a thriving metropolis whose fortunes are tied to the commerce and industry associated with major rivers. The city's unrest has served it poorly it over the years. The 36 candidates in this year's city primary could well hold the future of Cairo in their hands.

A vigorous campaign in which candidates spell out in detail their vision of a new Cairo would give voters the information they need to make decisions that could serve the city well for decades to come.