In the race for Madison mayor, there are two very likeable, very smart and very capable candidates. Their similarities far outweigh their differences, and both would serve this city well.

Paul Soglin, who turns 66 later this month, served as mayor in the 1970s and 1990s, pushing through many successful projects that now define Madison. He’s the classic 1960s liberal, and some may support him out of a desire to go back to the good old days.

Dave Cieslewicz, 52, the incumbent since 2003, is trying to be the longest continually serving Madison mayor. An environmentalist by trade, Mayor Dave has led the city well through eight tumultuous years. As the Great Recession continues, Madison finds itself with a very low 4.4 percent unemployment rate, and the Cieslewicz administration deserves some of the credit for that.

While Soglin has some fair criticisms of Cieslewicz, we are not convinced the city needs to change gears and go with Paul. For this reason, coupled with the current mayor’s successes during a difficult decade, we endorse Mayor Dave Cieslewicz for re-election.

Cieslewicz’s successes are not as grand as some of Soglin’s, but they are many. He turned Halloween on State Street into an event that, while regrettably more corporate, has saved the city millions. He opened up the first municipal pool, which since 2009 has been able to operate without any city funding. His focus on Allied Drive has led to fewer police calls in that neighborhood, making it a much more pleasant place to live than when he entered office.

On student issues, Cieslewicz has worked well with campus leaders, going as far as to appoint a recent UW graduate, Mark Woulf, as his alcohol policy coordinator. He is also open to changes to the Alcohol License Density Ordinance, which would allow for more 18-and-up entertainment venues.

On economic development, Cieslewicz has used his influence to get approval for projects such as the Edgewater Hotel and the Central Library, and he has plans to create a year-round public market on the Capitol Loop. While controversial, these projects have and will help downtown Madison grow, and his work on them explain why he has the support of Downtown Madison, Inc., and the Madison Chamber of Commerce.

Soglin has spent much of the campaign criticizing the mayor for two major power moves – his early support of the Edgewater and how he pushed through a 50-cent bus fare increase. Cieslewicz makes a fair counterargument: In a city like Madison, where decision-making is notoriously drawn out, the mayor needs to throw his weight around a bit if he is going to get anything accomplished. We tend to agree with that notion.

Simply put: Cieslewicz is more pragmatic than Soglin. He knows how to work with the many moving parts of this city and he knows how to do it in this economic climate. Soglin may be better on some social issues, and thoughts of his time as mayor may produce rosy memories of yesteryear.

But this is not 1995. It’s 2011. Mayor Dave is prepared to continue leading Madison through this decade, and he has earned the opportunity to do so. Give him that chance on Tuesday.