The race for three Warren City Council at-large seats in Tuesday’s primary election doesn’t seem much different from the primary in May, when five candidates were vying for three spots in next week’s general election.

Incumbents Michael O’Brien and Helen Rucker and newcomer Greg Thumm survived the field of five in the Democratic primary, beating out Felicia Pruitt Davis and Ken MacPherson.

O’Brien, Rucker and Thumm are now trying to win at-large seats in a four-way election race against Republican David Burnham.

Election Day is Tuesday, although early voting has begun.

We believe the three Democrats are the best choices for the available at-large seats in Warren.

O’Brien has decades of experience in public service as a councilman, Trumbull County commissioner and state representative. He is known for his accessibility for residents of Warren and has played a significant role in the city’s downtown revitalization plans, including the Peninsula Project.

Rucker is a longtime Warren councilwoman, first in the 6th Ward and most recently in an at-large role. That institutional knowledge has served the city well over the years, both in growth and revitalization and also in helping to meet challenges. Foremost among them has been Warren’s ongoing battles against blight and crime.

Thumm, who has returned to his hometown after an impressive business career as a watchmaker and executive, would bring fresh ideas and a background as a problem solver. The former CEO of the Bulova watch company is passionate about Warren’s potential for a return to the city in which he was raised.

We’re encouraged about some of the things happening in Warren — including the construction of the Kimbery-Clark facility, the Peninsula Project and Golden Triangle Project — and we believe retaining O’Brien and Rucker so they can help in shepherding those projects to completion will be best for the city. We’re also excited about Thumm’s business acumen and outside-the-box approach to building on what he calls Warren’s “great bones” to revitalize what was once a booming town.

But it’s not all ambitious projects, rainbows and unicorns here. Warren City Council still has the problems of generational blight, crime and a lack of affordable and available housing waiting on solutions. Kimberly-Clark and a new Amazon hub in nearby Bazetta — along with other entities already in the area or expressing interest — figure to need workers and those folks will need somewhere to live.

We’d like to see Warren not only clear away abandoned and rundown properties, but also make use of those reclaimed parcels to build new and modern housing. Building four new homes on the site of the former Devon School site is a start, but it’s only that. Replenishing and revitalizing neighborhoods will help Warren’s curb appeal and perhaps convince others to put down roots here or entice some of those who’ve left to return — as Thumm has done.

We would have liked to hear Burnham’s thoughts about the state of the city and his priorities if elected to council, but the GOP candidate — who was unopposed in the May primary — did not submit an election questionnaire and did not respond to a message. The Tribune Chronicle’s editorial board, therefore, could not endorse Burnham’s candidacy.