by Editorial Staff

Election Day in the city of Knoxville general election is Tuesday, and voter turnout appears headed for another ignominious low.

Early voting totals are slightly up over September's primary, but that's not exactly a herculean feat — only 16.5 percent of eligible voters cast ballots six weeks ago.

But one lesson the primary taught is that every vote matters. If Madeline Rogero had received one additional vote in each city precinct, she would have cleared the bar to have avoided a runoff with room to spare.

Rogero received a shade under half the vote in the primary and easily outdistanced four challengers. She clearly is the best choice to lead the city during the next four years.

Mayors can come from a variety of backgrounds — Victor Ashe was a legislator and Bill Haslam was a corporate executive — but you would be hard pressed to find a candidate with a better resume to run a city than Rogero's.

She has a master's degree in urban planning. She served two terms on the Knox County Commission. She was executive director of the Dollywood Foundation, Dolly Parton's charitable organization, and of Knoxville's Promise, the local affiliate of retired Gen. Colin Powell's America's Promise. She has been an economic development consultant to the Tennessee Valley Authority, Capital One Financial Corp. and other organizations. Most recently, she turned around a beleaguered city Community Development Department for the Haslam administration.

Rogero has proven she can work with the private and public sectors. She has proven she can work with businesses and neighborhoods. She has proven she can work with liberals and conservatives. In short, she can work with all city residents.

Rogero has kept her campaign focused on the key issues facing the city — jobs, economic development, neighborhood improvement and fiscal responsibility. She has our enthusiastic endorsement.

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