You can tell it is thick into the campaign season in any community possessing a vibrant public dialogue when the local newspaper begins making endorsements of candidates.

Today, kicks off the Tribune’s endorsement schedule, and we begin with Albert Lea City Council Ward 2. For reasons of conflict of interest, the Tribune will not make an endorsement in this race.

The incumbent is Larry Baker, and the challenger is Robert Hoffman. For the record, we see both men as good candidates, and both have been gentlemanly toward each other, running clean campaigns with a welcome dose of levity.

But the reason the Albert Lea Tribune isn’t making an endorsement is that Hoffman is married to Tribune sales representative Angie Hoffman. In a community of 18,000, there are always going to be some conflicts of interest in many civic matters; however, some conflicts are nearer and some are more distant. The more-distant conflicts can be tolerated in a city this size. Being directly married to an employee, though, is far too close for comfort in making an endorsement in this race.

We wish the Ward 2 candidates well in the race, and we hope they and their supporters continue their positive approaches as Election Day nears.