After reading The Tribune’s interviews with candidates for the San Luis Obispo City Council (Oct. 14), I support Jan Marx for mayor, and John Ashbaugh and Dan Carpenter for City Council. All eight candidates talk about making needed capital improvements, but only Marx, Ashbaugh and Carpenter are clear on how they would pay for them.

As incumbents, they also have a great financial track record. They negotiated successfully with every city employee union for pay cuts and changes to pension plans that helped balance the city budget while maintaining city services. That was no small feat.

Marx, Ashbaugh and Carpenter are proven, commonsense leaders who have kept San Luis Obispo one of the highest-ranked small cities in the nation despite tough economic times. They have my enthusiastic support.