That makes an endorsement difficult, as we believe an elected official should be beholden first to the people who elected him or her.

Incumbent Councilman Marv Hendrickson, 64, makes no bones about why he wants to be a member of the council: He believes his colleagues in the development and real estate industries should be represented because "no other business is as controlled by government."

His opponent, J. Chris Cage, 47, is a firefighter for the Salt Lake County Unified Fire Authority, and has been fighting fires for the county for 19 years.

The council already has Councilman Michael Jensen, a UFA captain, running for re-election. If both Cage and Jensen were to be elected, that would be at least one council member too many working for a county-created entity.

For that reason, Hendrickson just edges Cage for our endorsement.

However, Cage has much to recommend him. We share his support for a council staff instead of one aide for each council member and agree the council should be a check on the authority of the mayor's office.

Cage has said his primary interest is to serve the people of the county, especially the underprivileged, but he also indicated he would support the interests of county employees. If it came to a choice, his loyalty to them could be the deciding factor.

Hendrickson, a builder/developer and real estate broker, said his experience and his knowledge in those industries are helpful to the council when it comes to land use, development and zoning issues. True enough, but his vote could be influenced by his familiarity with certain developers and Realtors who have business with the county.

We hope that would not happen.

In Hendrickson's first term, he has not been singled out for his pro-development record. Even his opponent can say no more than, "Special interests get too much attention from him."

Hendrickson's promise to rely on the County Planning Commission to give sound recommendations on zoning and development issues shows that he recognizes the council does not and should not have total control over the process.

Hendrickson's support for a countywide police agency with cities serving as precincts makes sense to us, and his experience on the council during its infancy can be a benefit as it puts together an ethics policy and its role in an ever more incorporated county evolves.

Still, we wish there were a candidate in District 6 who we could feel assured would act with objectivity and with residents' needs foremost in mind.