Hillsborough County faces no shortage of difficult choices. Growth continues to strain roads, drainage and transportation. The needs of the urban core often contrast with those of its rural areas. Many of the challenges confronting Hillsborough do not stop at the county line.

Stacy Hahn brings the experience and temperament the county commission needs to meet those challenges.

Hahn, 59, has devoted much of her career to public service and education. A teacher, university professor and Ph.D. trained researcher, she approaches public policy with a collaborative, data-driven mindset. For the past eight years, she has served ably on the Hillsborough County school board, helping guide one of the nation's largest school districts through an extraordinary period.

Her tenure included the COVID-19 disruption and serious financial challenges. Hahn served as the district confronted its deficit and rebuilt its financial footing, ultimately establishing reserves at roughly 10%. County commissioners oversee substantial public resources, and Hahn understands both the importance of questioning spending and the responsibility to connect taxpayer dollars to measurable outcomes.

Her priorities are appropriately focused on the pressures county residents face every day: growth, roads, drainage, transportation and the need for infrastructure investment to keep pace with development. She also emphasizes fiscal discipline.

Just as important, Hahn understands that Hillsborough cannot solve every major problem alone. Transportation, housing, economic development, environmental challenges and overall quality of life demand cooperation across Tampa Bay.

Hahn has demonstrated an ability to bring schools, businesses, nonprofits and community leaders together around common goals. She does her homework, reads the data closely and works across differences to deliver results.

Neil Manimala is an impressive political newcomer. While his intelligence, drive and connection to the community will serve the public well, the commission needs a proven leader now.

Hillsborough voters have the luxury of choice in this countywide face-off. The best races have at least two strong candidates, both of whom can articulate a vision and have the energy to do the often tiresome work of local government. Neil Manimala and Stacy Hahn are two of those people.

Manimala gets the edge for his fresh ideas and robust work ethic. Rarely does a first-time political candidate have such a keen awareness of the challenges facing a large, diverse county like Hillsborough.

Manimala, a 36-year-old Democrat, grew up in Valrico, lives in Tampa and graduated from the University of South Florida. He had thought of running for office before but was inspired when his daughter was born late last year.

"I cannot imagine her inheriting a world governed by cruelty and corruption, or even worse, governed by indifference," he said.

Manimala has sensible ideas about flooding, resiliency and containing sprawl. He speaks intelligently about transportation and healthcare. The latter is hardly surprising given that he's a surgeon, urologist and the president of the Hillsborough County Medical Association. He also understands how some residents are barely making ends meet. He would like to restore the county's housing fund and create more opportunities to build affordable and workforce housing.

He's passionate about restoring faith in government.

"Whenever I see a patient in the office or the operating room, I don't look up their voter registration and decide what kind of care to give them," he said. "That's the kind of approach we need in our politics, too."

Manimala already tapered his medical practice to focus on his campaign. If he wins, he said he would stop seeing patients and focus on the commission.

Republican Stacy Hahn beat incumbent commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda in the August primary. Hahn spent eight years on the Hillsborough County School Board, where she developed her cordial but no-nonsense style of governing. Hahn has a track record of building consensus and getting things done. She also values government transparency.

Manimala or Hahn will be a positive upgrade over Cepeda. In this close call, Manimala gets the edge.

Hillsborough County's countywide commissioners serve more than a district. They answer to the entire county — a structure that demands a broad perspective, a willingness to compromise and the ability to build coalitions, since many of the county's biggest challenges cross its borders. Aileen Rodriguez is the right person for this seat.

Rodriguez describes herself as a moderate and has built a career around community engagement and public service. Her background includes constituent services as a regional director for former U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, as well as leadership roles involving government, health, education and transportation. Those experiences give her the regional outlook that Hillsborough needs as it wrestles with transportation, growth and affordability alongside its neighbors.

Rodriguez's strength is community building. She emphasizes listening, partnerships and finding common ground — a valuable temperament on a seven-member commission, where governing requires more than making a point. It requires assembling votes and finding workable solutions.

Her opponent, Joshua Wostal, brings a strong and focused voice to the commission. But his support for recommendations that would eliminate Hillsborough's healthcare program for low-income residents highlights a significant difference between the candidates. Rodriguez argues that fiscal responsibility and protecting taxpayer dollars need not require eliminating important community services because she sees the bigger picture.

That distinction matters in a countywide race. The job requires considering the interests of the entire county, including residents who may see issues very differently.

Hillsborough needs commissioners who can challenge government when necessary but also compromise when progress demands it.

Like in District 5, this wasn't an easy call — but for a different reason. Republican incumbent Joshua Wostal will likely never win "most collegial." He's brash and direct, though rarely rude during commission meetings. His straightforward style rubs some people the wrong way. He tries not to make it personal, but he knows some people take it that way. He has strong beliefs and rarely backs down.

Wostal, 42, makes up for the abrasiveness by being prepared and working harder than most. The Navy veteran and small-business owner dives deep into the issues that matter and has spurred some important changes. He keeps the county staff on their toes, which is a good thing. He's also a fiscal hawk, which every commission needs — someone who wonks out on the budget, not just saying every dollar should be spent well but actually spotting where it isn't. He bills himself as the "boring budget guy."

Wostal has smartly called for overhauling the beleaguered Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority. He would shrink HART to a more Tampa-focused bus service, with some routes in Brandon and other densely populated areas, and fund it with a city-only sales tax instead of property taxes.

"We don't need empty 40-foot buses running to low-density parts of the county," he said. "There are other ways to serve those areas."

Wostal loathed the recently approved stadium and development deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, calling it an "albatross" that will haunt the county for years.

"The taxpayers of Hillsborough County are at extreme risk," said Wostal, one of two commissioners who voted no.

Going forward, two of his main focuses will remain fixing roads and sidewalks. He's made progress over the last few years, after identifying a 16-year backlog in maintenance projects.

"Those are overwhelmingly what residents complain about and want us to fix," he said. "That and ensuring public safety."

I don't agree with several of his stances, including his opposition to the Hillsborough County Health Care Plan, which covers residents without insurance. But his watchdogging of local government and fiscal restraint would be missed if he were defeated.

Wostal's a conservative with a libertarian streak who thinks for himself. He's proven that he has little patience for government inefficiencies and will buck his own party, admirable traits in an elected official.

Wostal faces Democrat Aileen Rodriguez, a first-time candidate who worked as a senior manager for the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, marketing communications director for the Helios Education Foundation and communications director for the 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee for the Republican National Convention. She said she left the Republican Party in 2019, when it stopped reflecting her Christian values.

Rodriguez is a legitimate contender running a solid campaign. She could be an asset to the county commission, but Wostal has already proven his worth — even if he's ruffled feathers along the way.

Harry Cohen is everything voters should want in a county commissioner — dedicated, hard-working, experienced, highly competent. First elected in 2020 and reelected in 2022, he has served with integrity, intelligence and creative thinking. Cohen delves into the issues with a rare eye for detail, giving him a solid grounding for pragmatic decision-making. He's a fluid and convincing speaker, but even when he disagrees with other commissioners, he doesn't make it personal. He's forthright and levelheaded at a time when those qualities are much needed.

"Ninety percent of what happens with the commission doesn't fit into traditional party lines," said the 56-year-old Democrat. "Residents simply want us to make the county better."

Cohen wants to keep improving the county's storm and wastewater systems. He understands that transportation remains a frustration in the growing county. He hopes the new Rays ballpark and the surrounding development — which he supported with his vote — will help him spark a deeper discussion about relieving congestion in that area. He also wants to make sure the county charges enough in impact fees so that new development pays for itself.

Cohen, a lawyer, previously served eight years on Tampa City Council and worked as chief deputy clerk and general counsel to Hillsborough's Clerk of the Court. He's endorsed by Sheriff Chad Chronister, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, the Hillsborough firefighters union, the Suncoast Police Benevolent Association and the Tampa Bay Builders Association, among others.

Cohen faces Republican Jackie Toledo, an engineer who spent six years in the state Legislature. She can't match Cohen's grasp of local issues or his energy for solving problems.

Voters in District 1, which includes most of South Tampa, Westshore, Town 'N' Country and parts of Seminole Heights, should give Cohen another four years. They won't regret it.

This one is easy. Democrat Gwen Myers has the experience and a strong grasp of the ins and outs of county government. Her opponent doesn't.

Myers, 72, is a former state tax auditor who spent 25 years in Hillsborough County government and retired in 2013 as a supervisor of healthcare programs. In 2020, she won a special election for a vacant county commission seat. Two years later, she ran unopposed.

Myers is active in her district, which covers East Tampa, Ybor City and Progress Village, and she is strong on healthcare, social services and housing issues. She wants to expand transit options to help make the county more affordable for workers. She favors securing state and federal funds to build a light rail system and expand bus rapid transit lines. She also wants to widen existing driving lanes and add bicycle lanes.

Republican Luiz F.F. Garcia, a USF grad who runs Just Love Coffee Cafe in Brandon, is personable and appears to care deeply about the county. But to be a serious candidate, the 28-year-old would need a much clearer idea of how local government works and what he hopes to accomplish.

We appreciate Garcia's willingness to participate in the democratic process, but Myers is the best option for District 3 voters.