Among the frontrunners in the race for the District 3 City Council seat, voters can’t go wrong.

Todd Gloria, John Hartley and Stephen Whitburn are a stalwart trio of candidates, whose supporters and endorsements speak volumes about their work ethic, knowledge, and commitment to District 3’s neighborhoods.

No offense to Paul Broadway or Robert E. Lee, two salt-of-the-earth candidates who we enjoyed spending an hour chatting with, but Todd, John and Stephen have dominated the race – and so our endorsement will go to one of them. (James Hartline did not respond to a request to be interviewed for our endorsement.)

John Hartley is a strong candidate with the experience to make an impact in District 3.

In 1988, John spearheaded district elections, allowing the city’s diversity to be represented on the City Council – and allowing District 3 an opportunity to elect the first openly gay representative, Christine Kehoe.

He has invested his time canvassing the neighborhoods to hear residents’ concerns about infrastructure, public safety and development. He discussed with us updating a neighborhood patrol program that would give vigilant volunteer residents more control in their neighborhoods. John implemented similar programs during his first term in office in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

He has displayed experience in giving neighborhoods a fair share of city resources, and a voice at City Hall.

Yes, John is certainly a worthy candidate – who displayed a galling lack of judgment in March when he was arrested for urinating into a cup in his truck. He subsequently pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of lewd conduct, which runs contradictory to his promise to clean up District 3’s neighborhoods.

And, while we enjoyed chatting with John and we share a vision for District 3, his lapse in judgment is cause for concern – and one of the primary reasons we can’t bring ourselves to endorse him.

Stephen Whitburn is likeable, approachable and easy to engage. During the time we spent with Stephen, we were impressed by his enthusiasm and knowledge. He was unafraid to participate in a short-lived, spirited debate about free press – and we like a candidate who isn’t afraid to disagree with us.

Stephen is a new-school politician with a progressive agenda and a no-nonsense approach to solving the city’s problems.

We agree with Stephen’s opposition to Proposition C. It illustrates his commitment to honest, transparent city government, and restoring ethics and integrity at City Hall.

Stephen, like John, is invested in funding repairs for aging infrastructure, and increasing police or safety patrols in District 3’s neighborhoods. Also like John, Stephen wouldn’t hesitate to direct money away from the city’s redevelopment agency to fund those neighborhood ventures.

Stephen has racked up a number of key endorsements (the Democratic Party, Rep. Bob Filner, Councilmember Donna Frye), including endorsements from various progressive organizations – perhaps least impressive among them, the San Diego Democratic Club.

Stephen’s endorsement by Frye, a councilmember who acts in the public’s best interest, is, perhaps, the most telling vote of confidence we’ve seen in the race – and makes it all the more difficult not to endorse Stephen.

Stephen will make an effective councilmember in the future and he’d certainly acclimate quickly if elected in November.

In order to hit the ground running when Toni Atkins terms out, though, District 3 needs a representative like Todd Gloria, who has won the endorsement of the Gay & Lesbian Times.

Though at times Todd seems polished and slick, we are impressed by his genuine commitment to effecting change in District 3; his amiable disposition; and the sheer knowledge he possesses of a number of key issues facing the city and our neighborhoods.

We’ll admit: we were skeptical of the homegrown candidate from the get-go. A young’un at just 30, it seemed Todd’s primary qualification was his lifetime residency in San Diego, which, in fact, turned out to be a deciding factor in our endorsement. You can’t underestimate the value of a candidate’s roots in a community – and Todd’s run deep.

Outside of that, while talking with us, he displayed an impressive amount of knowledge of the structure of city government and key issues facing the city.

Fiscal reform and restoring public trust is going to be the primary challenge of the new City Council, and Todd’s qualifications make us confident he can tackle the city’s finances.

Serving on the audit committee of the Board of Commissioners of the San Diego Housing Commission, Todd understands the intricate nature of number-crunching and would take a hands-on approach to understanding the city’s finances.

Todd was even willing to hold the current City Council accountable for their poor decisions regarding the pension debacle.

“When you’re looking at the decision making that is occurring, is it fair to say, lacking a lot of information, bad decisions get made? Absolutely,” he says. “… Who’s responsible? Well, you know, I think decisions were made that were bad and you have to hold the decision makers responsible.” When asked who made the decisions, Gloria said, “The City Council obviously. Certainly the person making the decisions is responsible [and] people that are providing information, surely.”

Let this be clear: We disagree with Todd’s position on Proposition C and we urge the candidate to take a second look at his support of a mayor-appointed city auditor. In our talks with Todd, we discussed Proposition C. Todd maintains that electing a city auditor would force capable candidates to become politicians – seeking endorsements, raising funds, etc. – and would only create the illusion of independence. Regardless of what he says, an appointed auditor, whose paycheck is signed, sealed and delivered by the acting mayor, makes no progress toward creating transparent government or fiscal reform.

Though we disagree with Todd on Proposition C, we agree with him (and, in truth, all three of the leading candidates) about many of the issues facing our neighborhoods. Like Whitburn and Hartley, Todd’s priority is infrastructure and public safety. He’s on record saying he will support increasing developers’ fees to help fund infrastructure and repairs, and he adamantly opposes 301 University. He, like the other candidates, is invested in being sure our neighborhoods have a voice in city government.

The parity among Todd, John and Stephen made this an extremely difficult decision for us. In our meetings with the candidates, we were impressed by each – in particular, Gloria. This may be John’s last campaign for office, but we’re thankful for his years of service. We sincerely look forward to supporting Stephen in his future endeavors.

And we certainly can’t wait for Todd to make history as the first gay man elected to City Council.