Any resident who thinks our city or county needs better representation — who shakes their head any time council or the commissioners make a decision — should mark their calendars for May 18.

The filing period to run for all Austin and Mower County public offices is May 18 through June 1.

Some of the positions up for re-election include county commissioner seats, sheriff and mayor.

On Tuesday, councilwoman Marian Clennon threw her hat in the ring to challenge Mayor Tom Stiehm.

As reported by the Herald’s Mike Rose, Clennon says she’s focused on getting more citizens involved with city politics, something she thinks Stiehm could do better.

Stiehm welcomes the challenge.

“If you want someone else to run, you want them to be different,” the mayor said. “(The vote) just depends on which way people want to go.”

When it comes to any public office, it’s obviously best for the community to elect the most qualified candidate for each position.

Figuring out who that is starts with a good field, a mix of people with diverse opinions.

We hope this year’s election season brings a wealth of solid candidates, and we encourage anyone who’s interested in public office to file.

Time is running out to make that decision as the filing period opens in less than a month.