What do you want in a mayor? What background, skills and traits are important?

There might be two candidates or there could be eight. But how do you figure out which one is the best one to lead Federal Way? Let’s start with the obvious: Experience.

A good candidate should have demonstrated both administrative and political skill. Assuming the office of mayor without having first held another elected position of some type will increase the likelihood of mistakes or errors in judgment — errors that seasoning in another office would avoid.

The office of mayor should not be on-the-job training. There are too many challenges waiting. You’ll notice new Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn has stumbled several times, and it’s only March. He will adjust and do better, but valuable time has been lost.

The experience of having held another political office helps you, the voter, view a public record that will give clues to how the person will perform in office as the chief executive.

Also in the experience category, what have the candidates managed?

City Hall is a big business, employing hundreds of people with millions of dollars of taxpayer money. Have the candidates been responsible for that type of enterprise? It could be public or private.

Even though the new mayor is likely to hire a city administrator, the mayor is ultimately responsible and has to direct the city administrator. As a result, supervisory experience, budget experience, knowledge of economics, labor relations and the understanding of management principles are essential.

Do the candidates really understand how government works? Sounds simple, but it isn’t. Make sure they exhibit more than a superficial understanding of the complexities and know how all the moving parts of an administration are supposed to mesh.

Leadership: Can the candidate inspire the community, the council and the staff to support their vision and head everyone in the same direction? Is this someone you want to follow?

Do you trust the person? Will others trust this person? Honesty and integrity will be very important. Can you take this candidate’s word, or is he or she telling you what they think you want to hear to get your vote?

It’s easy for candidates to say we need to improve downtown, police service, roads or parks. But “how” are they going to do it, and “how” are they going to pay for it? Any improvement of any magnitude will cost a lot of money, so what is going to get cut to pay for it? Don’t be fooled by one-liners. Force the candidates to answer questions in more depth.

Consider community involvement. Have the candidates been involved in the community? It could be Rotary, Kiwanis, Fusion, Friends of the Hylebos, Boys and Girls Club or many others. Do the candidates have a history of service to the Federal Way community, or is the job of mayor just a political stepping stone or just a better job than the one they have?

Look who is supporting each candidate. Are the supporters people with a history of community service? Or are they people or groups who might want something in return? It might be a little of both, so look closely and consider the impact of the people who want something.

Give your vote some thought and analyze the candidates carefully — this is historical.