This year is providing a wonderful opportunity for a new generation of leadership to step into the spotlight to move Butler forward.

With Mayor Leonard Pintell and Councilman Charles Savannah opting not to seek reelection and one other council seat also up for grabs, the window is in place for new people dedicated to improving the city's fortunes to seize this opportunity for municipal government service.

Unfortunately, there isn't much time for interested individuals to finalize a decision to run for one of the offices. Candidate petitions must be filed with the Butler County Bureau of Elections by March 8. Primary Elections Day is May 17.

A total of 100 petition signatures are required to be gathered by each mayoral and council candidate in order to be listed on the election ballots.

While the Butler Eagle opts not to make political candidate endorsements, this newspaper recognizes that the city is perched at an important crossroads. This year's elections will determine whether the city stands still or builds upon what has been happening over the past couple of years in terms of revitalization.

The foundation is in place for a West End revitalization project, and a Main Street revitalization initiative also is in the planning stages. The council needs people with the energy and determination to move those projects forward, not relegate them to a state of inaction.

The city can't afford another era of caretaker government - the kind of government that allowed the city infrastructure to erode, and the city's financial situation to become increasingly precarious.

With the new $26 Emergency Municipal Services Tax enabling the city to dodge red ink this year - and providing flexibility for additional money, if necessary, in future years - this is a time when the city has the chance to fix some of its problems. But that will require people to step to the forefront who are committed to being more than just a city official in name and title.

Whoever is elected mayor or to one of the council seats must be committed to working hard and keeping in close touch with state and federal officials in terms of the city's needs. And, those people must be willing to travel to Harrisburg and Washington as much as practicable to push the city's initiatives in regard to obtaining grants.

However, most of all, the city needs people with a strong sense and desire to run the city as a business - and who are unwilling to tolerate inefficiences resulting from political allegiances.

The coming years might also be an excellent time for the city to reconsider its current commission form of government, under which the mayor and council members have equal power. The city might fare better under a strong mayor or city manager; a government study commission is a means for considering such a change.

For 2005, the important thing is for the city to produce a strong new-generation crop of candidates for the voters to consider - and that includes women, who have been absent from the city's top government positions for more than a decade.

"Maintaining the status quo" must not be uttered as a campaign phrase in the city this year.

It's unfortunate that Pintell and Savannah waited so long to formally announce their intentions. The oftentimes tough task of unseating an incumbent might possibly have caused some qualified people not to consider a run for office up to now.

But there still is time for those who want to give of themselves on the city's behalf. Indeed, the small time frame for circulating petitions could give voters insight into newly announced candidates' energy and vigor.

The list of candidates for the mayoral and council party nominations should be lengthy. It might be a long time before such an opportunity again exists for political newcomers.