toledoblade.com --

IT IS INCREDIBLY ironic that the race for mayor of Toledo has come down to two men who have known each other practically their entire lives, grew up in the same North Toledo neighborhood, played backyard hoops together as kids, graduated in the same class from Woodward High School, spent much of their working lives in public service here, and have earned reputations as respected leaders of this community.

But there it is, and therein lies the dilemma for voters in Tuesday's election. Were these two candidates individuals with disparate capabilities and qualities, we might suggest that voters suffering from a strong case of what we'll call "Finkbeiner fatigue" simply choose the candidate who is most unlike the incumbent.

But both Michael Bell and Keith Wilkowski are qualified to lead Toledo, and each has shown the potential to be a good mayor. Obviously, only one person can have the job. Too bad. We could use them both.

As a firefighter for 27 years, Mike Bell amply demonstrated his commitment to the city. As fire chief for 17 of those years, he proved his ability to run a large, complex organization with hundreds of employees, a multimillion-dollar budget, and a mandate for public service.

Mr. Wilkowski has deep political roots - his father, the late Arthur Wilkowski, was a distinguished state representative - and he has served as a Lucas County commissioner, city law director, Toledo school board member, and Lucas County Democratic Party chairman. He is a proven administrator and a talented and successful lawyer. He was also one of President Obama's earliest backers and has the political moxie to use that fact to benefit his beleaguered city.

Both candidates are honest, decent people, sincere in their wish to help secure a better future for Toledo. But they are not clones. While Mr. Wilkowski is more articulate, Mr. Bell is more personable (as well as the sharper dresser).

Mr. Bell sees himself as a "big picture guy," while Mr. Wilkowski displays a better grasp of details. Mr. Wilkowski sounds at times too political, such as when he promises never to raise taxes; Mr. Bell can seem too unpolitical, such as complaining about the grind of campaigning.

Obviously, neither candidate is perfect.

One trait they share, for good or ill, is a touch of naivete. Mr. Bell, for example, seems to believe he can jawbone city unions into embracing more concessions once he impresses upon them the true depth of the city's financial crisis.

Mr. Wilkowski, meanwhile, talks vaguely about big savings hiding in a city budget that already has been cut by tens of millions of dollars.

Despite months of campaigning, debate forums too numerous to recall, and a lengthy interview with The Blade's editorial board, neither candidate has been able to make a convincing argument that he has the answer to Toledo's immediate budget problems.

We understand that politicians don't like to commit themselves to a specific course of action, but Toledo is in a desperate fiscal situation that could get even worse in 2010. We would feel more comfortable knowing that the new mayor has a realistic solution in mind on inauguration day.

We are also concerned about what sort of people each would hire for the next city administration. Because of the seriousness of Toledo's problems, the next mayor has the chance to be great. But a bad mayor could tip the city over the edge, sending it on a downward spiral from which it could take decades to recover. The quickest path we know to becoming a bad mayor is to surround oneself with bad people.

Both candidates have promised to look outside the city and the state with national searches for the best people to lead the city's recovery. It's important to remember that in recent political wars Mr. Wilkowski was an A Team Democrat, while Mr. Bell, an Independent who is not a political insider, has a number of former Democratic B Team functionaries on his campaign staff. People who put politics above community should not be welcome in city government, and we will be watching to make sure none of these political hacks is given a position of authority or responsibility in the next administration.

With the dangers that lie ahead for municipal governance, we're not sure why anyone would want to be mayor of Toledo right now. That five qualified candidates sought the job, and two such highly qualified people are on Tuesday's ballot is an embarrassment of riches, but one that does not ensure success.

As for an endorsement, readers tend to chafe when we, in their opinion, "tell them who to vote for." This time, those people should be very happy.

Mr. Bell could be an excellent mayor. Mr. Wilkowski could be equally good. The potential is there. Success or failure will depend largely on the decisions the winner makes beginning in January.

Honesty, sincerity, devotion - Mr. Wilkowski and Mr. Bell have these qualities in abundance. Wisdom? That is less clear because it depends too much on things we cannot know until the new mayor takes office.

And so we reluctantly defer to the electorate, hoping that they will turn out in large numbers to make their wishes known on Tuesday.