For the first time this century, there will be no incumbent running for mayor in the city of Columbus when voters go to the polls next spring.

We would hope this rare circumstance would signal a fresh start and a higher tone for the upcoming mayoral campaign since none of the candidates will have a record as mayor to either run on or defend.

The 2021 mayor’s election was particularly rancorous as factions sprang up in support of challenger Keith Gaskin and Robert Smith, who was seeking his fourth full term. Through rumor and innuendo, those groups made for an ugly race that was decided by the narrowest of margins before disappearing almost as quickly as they emerged.

With Gaskin announcing that he will not seek a second term, the 2025 election could be a clean slate for voters, but we are already seeing evidence of another bruising campaign filled with the worst sort of rhetoric.

One need only consider the Opinion Page of The Dispatch to recognize this potential. In an op-ed published in the weekend edition, Lowndes County District 5 supervisor Leroy Brooks criticized the Columbus city council for failing to call a public hearing before approving its redistricting map, then took aim at the council as the municipal elections approach.

“Voters beware!” he wrote. “There is a nefarious plot being conceived by remnants of the old administration. It’s time to move on from the leaders that almost wrecked the financial well-being of the city. Don’t be misled, their influence is all over city hall.”

Brook’s letter elicited an immediate response in Wednesday’s Dispatch from Ward 5 councilman Stephen Jones, who is on the record as saying he will run for mayor.

Jones did everything short of identifying Brooks by name, referring to the supervisor instead as “Old Guard.”

We won’t get into the details of the back-and-forth between Brooks and Jones, other than to say it’s the type of rhetoric that sheds plenty of heat, but no light.

As previously mentioned, Jones has announced his intentions to run for mayor. To our knowledge, Brooks has no plans to run for a city position. In his announcement that he will not seek another term, Gaskin endorsed Darren Leach, a well-known Columbus pastor.

The official qualifying for the municipal elections don’t begin until January, though, so the field of candidates will likely change significantly between now and then.

We hope the candidates will focus on their credentials and their vision for the city rather than resort to mud-slinging and hyperbole, either through their own words or by proxy through the sort of fly-by-night surrogates we saw in the previous mayor’s race.

What we can say is that no candidate for this position is willfully trying to hurt our city. So let’s leave that nonsense out of the conversation.

Qualifications and policies can be fairly and honorably debated. When candidates adhere here to these subjects, voters are better equipped to choose a mayor who can move our city forward.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.

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