Six of Allegheny County Council's 15 members will come before voters next month, but only two of them -- Republican Matt Drozd and Democrat Michael J. Finnerty -- face challengers.

Mr. Drozd, 65, of Ross prides himself on providing prompt services to his constituents, but they have not been well-served by his positions on key issues since he joined council in 2006. He voted against the county's tax on alcoholic drinks and its $2-a-day tax on car rentals, levies that were necessary so the county could provide its $30 million annual subsidy to the Port Authority transit system. His campaign signs promise a tax cut, but his suggestion that the county can obtain significant funding from the state for its court operations is unrealistically optimistic.

He attributes the failure of his legislative proposals to his status as a member of council's four-member Republican minority, but his stream-of-consciousness style of discourse does not qualify as productive debate.

His challenger, Democrat Thomas Michalow, 38, of Avalon is a history and German teacher at Northgate High School, a member of Avalon Council and a former member of its planning commission. He and the incumbent are competing in District 1, which includes Aleppo, Avalon, Bellevue, Ben Avon, Ben Avon Heights, Coraopolis, Crescent, Edgeworth, Emsworth, Kilbuck, Leet, Leetsdale, Moon, Ross, Sewickley and West View.

Although some of Mr. Michalow's positions are lacking in specifics, he brings what he correctly calls "good perspective from the trenches." For instance, in Avalon, he worked on a joint comprehensive plan with neighboring Bellevue and Ben Avon, an example of cross-border cooperation that is imperative in Allegheny County, which is overrun with small, struggling municipalities.

Mr. Michalow said at various times in Avalon he has had to make unpopular choices and that he has both raised and cut taxes. He said that, on County Council, he would legislate in the same manner. As an open-minded and eager student, Thomas Michalow would be an improvement over the incumbent and he has the Post-Gazette's endorsement.

In District 4, another four-year council veteran faces a challenger. The winner will represent the residents of Bridgeville, Carnegie, Collier, Crafton, Findlay, Kennedy, McKees Rocks, Oakdale, Osborne, Robinson, Rosslyn Farms and Scott.

We have not always agreed with positions taken by Mr. Finnerty, 64, of Scott, a retired teacher and coach. He was an advocate for removing the name search from the property assessment Web site, one of the county's most accessible services, and -- like Mr. Drozd -- he voted against the measure that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

However, Mr. Finnerty did vote for the county drink and car rental taxes, both politically risky but fiscally responsible decisions. He shares our disappointment that the state's indoor smoking ban contains too many exemptions and does not permit municipalities or the county to place tighter controls.

His challenger, Republican Dean Petrone, 39, of North Fayette declined an invitation to meet with Post-Gazette editors.

While we would like to see stronger leadership from Mr. Finnerty on key issues of property assessments and city-county consolidation, in the absence of a more credible challenger, Michael J. Finnerty has our endorsement for a second term.

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