It is a pleasant surprise to see nine city residents step forward to be considered for the city council seat being vacated by Lisa Guard, who will be moving to Erie.

Too often, openings for public office attract little interest. Nine candidates for an open seat on Butler City Council is a good sign and shows that people want to help to make Butler a better place to live and work.

Only one of the nine vying for the council seat will be selected, but the other eight candidates should all continue their current interest in the city — or increase their involvement — through one or more volunteer roles.

Not all of the candidates have the same interests or approach when it comes to improving life in the city. Some want to help control finances and dig into the budget. Others would focus on improving the parks and revitalizing neighborhoods. Some would add their support for the ongoing downtown revitalization efforts.

A snapshot of the candidates is:

Bill Criley, 61, would emphasize fiscal responsibility, more transparency and realistic budgeting.

Tom Graham, 42, supports ongoing redevelopment efforts. As a business owner, he wants to see the city become more competitive and business friendly.

Bill May, 54, would push for new ideas to boost the health of the business district and neighborhoods. He also would like to reduce HUD housing and promote owner-occupied, single-family housing to return more pride among building owners.

Nick Landon, 29, would like to encourage more young people to see Butler as a good place to raise a family.

Pat McIntyre, 31, would focus on the parks department, which is departing council member Guard’s responsibility, to give children more options for recreation.

Gregg Reesman, 49, also sees improved parks as a way to help the city. He’d push for new ideas to boost tourism.

Amy Keys, 43, said she’d like to focus on improving neighborhoods and finding ways to attract more younger people to move to the city.

Phillip Neyman, 30, also would focus on neighborhoods and ways to help restore the community pride that was more evident here years ago.

Corey Roche, 32, would focus on parks as a way to increase the quality of life.

Each candidate would have different priorities and approaches, but every one of them wants to see Butler revitalized.

For the eight people not selected to fill Guard’s seat, there are plenty of ways to help. It could be through the Shade Tree Commission, joining the Butler Downtown group, or forming a new group focused on neighborhoods or tourism.

Beyond the number of candidates, it’s also encouraging to see interest from younger people. Generally, the assumption is that most Butler residents are older. Over the years, city council has had few young members.

Seeing people in their 30s and 40s expressing interest in joining council and moving the city forward is a nice surprise — and another encouraging sign.

Mayor-elect Tom Donaldson will bring his own priorities, including a renewed effort to rid the city of illegal drugs.

With a new mayor and one new city council member, residents should look forward to new energy, new ideas — and progress.