Despite the slowdown in the economy and in development, things are looking up in White Plains, where an exceptionally strong group of candidates are vying for city offices. Even if mayoral hopeful Glen Hockley had not been knocked off the ballot for failing to complete election paperwork, he could hardly have competed with Adam Bradley, the detail-oriented, results-driven state legislator whom White Plains residents will soon elect as their mayor.

Bradley, a Democrat, is assured victory; he has run the table on ballot lines, securing the Democratic, Republican, Independence, Conservative and Working Families endorsements.

No surprise there; from our vantage point, Bradley has been among the most serious-minded, substantive lawmakers working in Albany.

For the open Common Council seats, we recommend incumbent Tom Roach, who has served on the council since 2002 and worked to control diesel emissions even as the development boom brought increased traffic to the city, and first time candidates David Buchwald and Beth Smayda, who have a wealth of good-government and budgeting experience between them.

They are each running on the Democrat and Working Families lines.

Roach has the Republican and Conservative endorsements as well, while Buchwald and Smayda also have the Independence lines.

Buchwald is a tax attorney who would bring a realist's eye to the budgeting process - instead of relying on phantom revenue, like overly ambitious sales tax projections that leave the city scrambling to fill budget holes.

Smayda, a former president of the League of Women Voters of White Plains, has served on the city's budget committee, where she spoke out against inflating revenue figures or reducing reserves. She is a public finance executive.

Also running are Jim Arndt and Leonard Lolis, on the Republican and Conservative lines.

Lolis has the Independence line as well.

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