The results aren’t yet official yet, but the field of candidates for Butler County Commissioner narrowed Tuesday from 14 to four.

The Democratic nominees are Jerry Johnston, the marketing coordinator for Butler County Community College’s off-campus sites, and Kevin Boozel, a social worker, project coordinator and EMT who is pursuing his master’s degree in organizational leadership

The Republican nominees are the former United Way executive director, Leslie Osche, and Kim Geyer, the administrative assistant to Commissioner Bill McCarrier.

There’s the likelihood of a Republican recount. Geyer, with 4,283 votes finished only two votes ahead of Bob O’Neill (4,281 votes), a Cranberry Township police corporal.

But if Geyer’s nomination withstands a recount, we have the likelihood of a female majority on the board, since Republican voter rolls are substantially greater than Democrats.

Any combination of three of these nominees represents other changes from the current board of commissioners. The candidates are younger — and most are much younger — than outgoing Republican majority commissioners McCarrier and Dale Pinkerton, both of whom declined to seek re-election. A younger board should bring fresh ideas and perspectives to county government, along with new energy.

That won’t diminish the accomplishments of the current board. Pinkerton and McCarrier succeeded in privatizing the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at a selling price of $20 million; and constructing a $12 million four-story government annex to house human services offices.

Are there similar major projects to be pursued in the coming four-year term? It’s largely up to the nominees to propose them. They have five months to present their vision for Butler County and how they intend to proceed.

How will they proceed with infrastructure, human services, crime, tourist promotion and the uncertain future of the county’s 12 senior centers? How will they proceed with the development and regulation of the Marcellus Shale gas industry and the distribution of impact fees? How will they balance the interests of business and residents?

On a more pragmatic level, how will they handle payroll and labor issues? Will they stay on top of finances and debt? To what extent they let the public speak their meetings?

And perhaps most importantly, will they work cooperatively, while at the same time representing the interests of residents and taxpayers? It’s clear from the poll results that residents are demanding they do. Incumbent Democrat Jim Eckstein, who continually presented himself as a maverick beholden to no one, finished last in a field of four Democrats.

The result is a clean slate — an all-new board of commissioners.

It’s incumbent on each nominee to speak in detail about their plans and vision. It’s also crucial that voters pay attention and judge what they hear from the candidates.

We all have a stake in the Nov. 3 election’s outcome.

— T.A.H.